Valedictorian of Sociology: “Studying is not enough”

Solid foundation

Born and raised in Hanoi, since childhood, Dieu Linh has studied in prestigious schools. In the 10th grade entrance exam, Dieu Linh excellently passed the entrance exam to Kim Lien High School, one of the leading schools in Hanoi. Besides, she was also raised in a family with a rich tradition of research. Dieu Linh is the niece of Professor, Doctor, People's Teacher Nguyen Huu Vui - one of the leading birds of Vietnamese Philosophy. Therefore, from a young age, she was exposed to, absorbed and accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience as provisions for life. From a young age, Dieu Linh soon revealed her inclination towards the field of social sciences and humanities, when from elementary school she was always in the school's Literature team. Her studying at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities came from that passion of hers, and also brought with it the great expectations of her grandfather for his little granddaughter - the one who would continue the family tradition. Dieu Linh confided: “I myself am very passionate about social sciences. After sharing my dream with my grandfather, he guided me to take the entrance exam to the University of Humanities – the leading school in the country in this field.”

Dieu Linh's student journey was built on many factors, of which family is the most solid foundation for her to confidently explore herself, learn and achieve success. Sharing about this, Dieu Linh openly said:“I feel very lucky to live and be educated in such an environment. My grandparents and parents are both researchers and early on guided me in the path that suits my aspirations.”.The training environment is very important to this valedictorian. Four years at the traditional Humanities School are also four years that she has associated her name with impressive achievements.

Pham Dieu Linh at the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam

Impressive achievements

During the 4 years of study, Dieu Linh has achieved many achievements. In terms of studying, she often achieved the title of excellent student of the class and of the school. At the same time, Dieu Linh received many certificates of merit such as: Certificate of merit from the school principal "Achieving excellent academic results" in the 2013-2014 school year; Certificate of merit from the Director of Hanoi National University "Having excellent graduation achievements in the entire course in 2015" and Lawrence S. Ting Scholarship for outstanding students of Hanoi National University. Dieu Linh was also awarded the certificate of "Outstanding Young Face" in 2014 by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Linh's overall score was 3.67, achieving Excellent and being one of the typical valedictorians of the major.

In addition to studying, she is also a passionate student and actively participates in scientific research. During her studies, Dieu Linh always realized that participating in scientific research activities is extremely necessary and meaningful, it helps students know how to connect theory with practice, between the knowledge learned in class and the reality of life and society, as well as know how to approach scientific research methods. The research awards she has won have proven that passion. In 2014, she won the Third Prize "Scientific Research Student" and in 2015, she won the First Prize "Scientific Research Student" at the school level. Currently, Dieu Linh is also studying for a double degree in English Language at the University of Foreign Languages ​​- Hanoi National University because according to her: "I always determine that foreign language is an indispensable skill in today's society. When you have good specialized knowledge and a complementary foreign language, then you will have many advantages in your work". Perhaps that's why no matter how difficult it is, even though she has to "shoulder" two formal training schools at the same time, Dieu Linh always tells herself to try and make every effort.

Not only possessing excellent academic achievements, in training, Dieu Linh also possesses an extremely impressive record of achievements. As a young, dynamic person who loves social activities, right from the time she entered university, she has continuously taken on many roles. She is the President of the class, and also a member of the Executive Committee of the Youth Union - Association of the Faculty of Sociology. During the 2011-2013 term, she was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit for "Having many contributions to the Association and Student Movement" from the Executive Committee of the Youth Union - Student Association of the School. Dieu Linh was also a member of the Organizing Committee of the "Student Social Work Team" Club of the School. She is also the Organizing Committee and MC of a series of programs that create the "brand" of the Faculty of Sociology such as: Vietnam Sociology and Social Work Festival 2013; Sociology Online II, Sociology Online III... The Sociology valedictorian also loves being an MC and often hosts programs and events at school. With Linh: “I think that as an active student, studying alone is not enough. I always have to constantly improve myself by participating in extracurricular activities. That will supplement my soft skills and bring me extremely valuable practical experiences.”.

With such a point of view, Linh also participates as a Collaborator for the CASA Training Support and Consulting Group - University of Social Sciences and Humanities in the role of Head of External Relations; Collaborator of the Youth Box Channel under the Towards Transparency Organization (TT) - Transparency International Organization (Transparency International), is an active volunteer of the Hanoi Youth Blood Donation Association and participates in a series of other social activities over the years. This dynamic and enthusiastic girl always asserts herself in all circumstances and in all challenges.

Advice for the next class

As a girl who always lives her passion and achieves "huge" achievements, Dieu Linh always knows how to balance work and study. Linh said: "For me, study time is not as important as effective study methods, and self-study at home is very important. I always take notes of keywords and record the lectures of teachers in class." Entering each exam, Linh carefully prepares the outline, using vivid examples to create a different impression among thousands of different lessons. At the same time, always aware of the importance of English, Linh always makes the most of her free time to learn foreign languages.

Talking about choosing a major, Linh shared: “First of all, you should orient yourself to your passion job, only then will you know what you should study and what skills you need to cultivate to supplement. Spending a lot of time studying is not as good as studying methodically and with direction. Make your own mark while still in school.”.For Linh, in the process of pursuing a major in sociology, she believes that she has learned and changed a lot in the way she looks at all social issues: “It is true as the famous sociologist of the 20th century - Peter Berger said, “The charm of sociology lies in the way its explanations of problems allow us to see the world in which we have lived all our lives in a new light. It can be said that the first wisdom of sociology is - things are not as they seem”.

After graduating, as valedictorian and holding an Excellent degree, Linh met the conditions to transfer to a PhD program. Therefore, although she has not had a single day off since graduation, during this time she is busy preparing her PhD proposal, starting a new phase in her career. Linh's wish is to stay at the University as a lecturer, to satisfy her passion for teaching and scientific research, as well as to bring her knowledge and youthful enthusiasm to impart to future generations of students.