Excellent female student from Ha Tinh once dropped out of school for 2 years, pressured to the point of tears

(Dan Tri) - Since childhood, Chau Anh has had a deep memory of her parents struggling at the brick kiln every day to make a living. Thanks to that, she continuously strives to realize her dream of changing her life through knowledge.

At the recent graduation ceremony of the second class, Nguyen Thi Chau Anh graduated with honors. On the journey to conquer knowledge, there were times when she collapsed and cried because of exhaustion and pressure, but above all, she did not give up.

Exhausted, crying but not giving up

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Chau Anh said that during her 4 years in university, she studied and worked non-stop.

Chau Anh used to be an assistant to the CEO at a startup center, managing the development of the new material technology startup market and coordinating the mentoring program for the student community; champion of the VICAP startup competition - jointly organized by Vietnam and Israel in 2022; full scholarship Umotion Ideas Camp in 2019; full scholarship Fulbright Everest Launchpad 2017...

Currently, I am a Growth Manager at a technology company specializing in the production of Graphenel materials in Vietnam. Here, Chau Anh plays the role of a “translator” – converting the language of science into the language of business, helping businesses understand and trust the product.

Chau Anh is an outstanding student, graduating with honors in 2025 (Photo: NVCC).

Because customers have high demand, Chau Anh has to coordinate production with departments to ensure quality and quantity. This job helps her learn how to connect multiple disciplines, tell a convincing story, and bring scientific products to the real market.

With a busy work and study schedule, the female student always has to arrange her time, ensuring a balance between studying and working. During each break between subjects, instead of going out and traveling like many other friends, Chau Anh flies to Ho Chi Minh City to continue working.

Luckily, Chau Anh was supported by the school and the company, allowing her to work flexibly or remotely to graduate on time.

Sharing about how to balance work and study, Chau Anh said that in the first semester, she was overwhelmed by having Covid-19, participating in local epidemic prevention, studying online, and completing an international course.

“Once, I was in a group meeting preparing a presentation. As soon as I turned off the screen, I collapsed and cried because I was tired and stressed, but above all, I couldn't give up.

I learned how to balance to expand my limits, learned how to be resilient to overcome challenges. Especially with the companionship of teachers, friends, and colleagues, with lessons that were not on the lecture slides," the female student recalled.

Early nurturing of dreams of changing life through knowledge

Chau Anh was born in the countryside of Ha Tinh . At the age of 7, she had a deep memory of her parents working hard in the brick kiln, picking up 14,000 bricks a day to earn 70,000 VND in wages. Growing up amidst the hardships of a sunny and windy Central village, she soon nurtured the dream of changing her life through knowledge.

However, instead of going to university right after graduating from high school, Chau Anh took a 2-year break from school to go to Ho Chi Minh City (gap year) to work to earn a living and find her own direction.

The female student started earning her own money at the age of 18. When the Covid-19 pandemic spread across Vietnam, she ate instant noodles for a whole month to save 6 million VND, in case she needed to buy a plane ticket to visit her parents in an emergency.

Chau Anh said she wanted to approach the labor market to clearly orient her personal development goals. Here, she participated in the fight against Covid with the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, then became involved with the youth startup ecosystem.

Chau Anh and Professor Soumitra Dutta at the graduation ceremony (Photo: NVCC).

During these difficult days, Chau Anh participated in startup support projects, or community programs such as Tra Da Mentor - where she could share with students who were facing difficulties.

This was also the time that urged her to apply for a scholarship to VinUni University in Hanoi. And then, her two years of “gap year” bore fruit when she officially became a student of the school’s School of Business Administration.

Sharing about the bold decision above, Chau Anh said: “My family is not rich but my parents always accompany me. As a girl, choosing to go away for a gap year twice is not easy to get my parents to agree. But I always clearly shared with my parents from grade 12 what to study and what to do to support myself?

At first, my parents listened and gave me advice but let me make my own decisions. After the second gap year – during the Covid-19 season, my parents started to worry and called me more often but never tried to stop me.

It is thanks to the encouragement and spiritual support of my parents, thanks to their rough hands from the years of hard work in the brick kiln, carrying my whole life on their shoulders. Thanks to my parents, today I can work with pen and paper, and pursue knowledge," Chau Anh said emotionally.

According to this female student, holding an excellent degree is not the end, but a new beginning. Chau Anh continues to learn, maintains a humble attitude and constantly practices so that what she learns can become a real value for the community in the future.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nu-sinh-xuat-sac-ha-tinh-tung-nghi-hoc-2-nam-ap-luc-den-bat-khoc-20250809235800839.htm