The determination to overcome circumstances to pursue PR of a female valedictorian from Thanh Hoa

2 months of working extra and lost 7kg

In her hometown of Thanh Hoa where Dinh Thi Van (born in 1998, valedictorian of Public Relations - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) lives, after graduating from high school, many families plan for their children to work abroad.

Van said, in her hometown, people have a very simple mindset: "After graduating from university, it's just to earn money" and advised Van to go abroad to work.

Therefore, the excellent graduation certificate obtained after 4 years of study is the result of the efforts and determination of the Thanh girl.

Van's parents were both farmers who worked on the farm all year round. To earn money to support their two children's lives and education, during their free time, they worked as construction workers.

Although her family's economy is not good, Van said her parents' thinking is quite "progressive" as they always encourage their children to pursue their education.

Understanding her family's situation from the first years of studying at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Van worked many part-time jobs to support herself and her studies.

Dinh Thi Van is the valedictorian of the Public Relations major at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. (Photo: Provided by the character)

“Working part-time to cover living expenses makes me miss out on a lot of things in college. For me, living expenses are very important.

If I don't have a job for just one or two months, it will greatly affect my life," Van shared.

When Van entered her second year of university, her younger sister also started studying at the Banking Academy.

Since then, her studies and living expenses have depended on her part-time job salary.

Like many other students, unable to start with professional jobs, Van looked for part-time jobs such as serving in restaurants and selling clothes.

After a while, realizing the need to accumulate experience while still in school, Van switched to applying for jobs related to her major.

Van was hired as a freelance writer for the Hanoi Accounting Group. The new job took Van a long time to get used to. The memory she remembers most during this time was the time she hugged her computer and went to seek help.

“At that time, my work was quite difficult and time-consuming. Many times I tried everything but could not complete a single assignment. I myself did not know anyone who had expertise in the field.

In such an "urgent" situation, I had to carry my computer along Luong The Vinh street to each computer repair shop to ask for help.

Many people found it strange, but after knowing the reason, many people were willing to guide me within the scope of their understanding," Van recalled.

Working hard since her university years, Van has accumulated a lot of experience and knowledge. (Photo: Character provided)

After accumulating the necessary knowledge, Van moved to work as a collaborator for a company specializing in studying abroad consulting. In her memory, Van said that this was the time when she skipped meals the most.

“My work hours are from 8am to 12pm while my classes at school usually start at 12:45pm, so after work I have to catch a bus to school to be on time for class.

After two months like that, I lost 7kg and there were times when I thought I couldn't hold on any longer," Van said.

Four years, through many jobs, Van met many people, learned and accumulated the necessary experiences to be confident when graduating.

“PR has changed me”

In a conversation with a reporter from Vietnam Education Electronic Magazine, Van said that Public Relations came to her as fate and that this major has helped her change a lot.

When deciding to take the university entrance exam, Van consulted many people, including her parents.

Thinking that girls should choose easy jobs, Van's parents directed her to study teaching or medicine.

Then, when holding the university application form in hand, Van decided to choose Public Relations as the major to pursue her dream.

Van confided: “At that time, I didn’t really know what Public Relations was. During my studies, there were times when I thought that this major might not be suitable for me because I was quite shy, afraid of crowds, and even in many cases did not dare to speak my mind.

But over the past four years, I have strived to change myself to suit the major I have chosen."

Van will always remember the memory of entering school that made her determined to change to suit her major. That was the first time Van held the microphone to present a lesson in front of the whole class.

Van's timid appearance, stuttering mouth and trembling hands made many classmates laugh out loud, and Van herself was sure that "this would be the last time I would present in front of a crowd".

Dinh Thi Van is currently working as a communications officer for a technology company in Hanoi. (Photo: Provided by the character)

After completing the general subjects and moving further into the specialized subjects, Van was surprised to have to give a presentation in front of the class every class.

Knowing that she could not escape, that she could not stay safe like before, Van was determined to change herself to suit her major.

“I always believe that the only way to overcome difficulties is not to avoid them but to go through them.

Instead of feeling panicked and scared every time it was time to present like before, I chose to face it by preparing carefully before each presentation," Van said.

The method Van applied was to actively time herself to practice speaking. She spoke more, even when no one was around, Van stood in front of the mirror to practice speaking and to practice controlling her body.

Practice makes perfect, in the following presentations, Van faced her fears with confidence, flexible language, and comfort.

To get through four years of studying with high results, Van said she had to try and make a lot of effort to balance her study time and work time. In addition to working time, Van always takes advantage of every moment to study and improve her knowledge.

Understanding the requirements of the field of study, in addition to reviewing knowledge in class, Van also spends a lot of time following information online to keep up with the world's development trends and find ways to apply the knowledge gained to work.

“When I held my Bachelor of Public Relations degree in my hand, I often thought back on the time I had been through. What had I done? How hard had I tried? What were the results of those efforts?

I feel that I have never regretted choosing this school or pursuing this major. The current results are also a great motivation for me to confidently step into life," Van confided.

With impressive academic achievements and work experience accumulated during her time studying and working, after graduating, Dinh Thi Van was hired as a communications staff for a technology company in Hanoi.

According to Vietnam Education