Blind female student enters top university at age 13

Although she has never seen the light, looking at what this blind girl has done makes many people admire.

Blind girl strives to find light for her life

That is the story of Vu Thi Hai Anh, a student at the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Born into a poor family and born blind, Hai Anh had a very difficult childhood. “There were times when my mother had to borrow money for every meal to feed the whole family. Because of difficult circumstances and no school accepting blind students, my childhood was limited within the four walls of the house. I could not go to school like other children, so I stayed at home to help my parents with small tasks such as cooking rice, fetching water, and gardening. Although life was difficult, I always believed that those harsh experiences had trained my strong will. Through that, I realized that only by standing up and making efforts can life change,” Hai Anh shared.

13 tuổi mới bắt đầu đi học, nữ sinh khiếm thị đỗ trường đại học top đầu — *Hai Anh is a student at Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities. PHOTO: NVCC*

Instead of feeling inferior or disadvantaged, Hai Anh chose to look at what she could do and develop. Believing in herself and the support of her family helped Hai Anh rise up and overcome adversity. In particular, her mother is the source of motivation and the person with the greatest influence in her life. Hai Anh confided: “My mother is the one who helped me open the door to knowledge. She taught me Braille when I was 8 years old. Her words of encouragement gave me the strength to constantly strive and make efforts. In addition, my dream of becoming a journalist is also a strong source of motivation for me to rise up.” She said that she started going to school at the age of 13 and encountered many difficulties at first. "When I first came to Hanoi to study at Nguyen Dinh Chieu Secondary School, I was very confused about life in the city. The days of studying in middle school and high school were a challenging time for me because I had to struggle with life and try to keep up with my studies. During the day, I went to class, and at night I did many different jobs to support myself, from acupressure massage to removing bandages for research centers," Hai Anh recounted.

That period was a difficult process, but Hai Anh knew that if she wanted to change her fate, she would have to work much harder than normal people. All her perseverance and determination helped her enter university. Currently, Hai Anh is a student majoring in public relations at the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities. “With the dream of becoming a person working in the field of communication and community development, I always aspire to tell meaningful stories, contributing to changing society's view of people with disabilities, helping them understand that we can also contribute and live an independent life. Life may not be easy, but faith in the future and the people I love has helped me to keep going on the chosen journey, no matter how harsh the circumstances are,” Hai Anh expressed.

Participate in many projects to help people with disabilities

Hai Anh is currently the Vice President of the Vietnam Blind Students Network (VBSN). In that role, Hai Anh always tries not only to do her job well but also to inspire and motivate young people in similar situations. She shared: “I often share my personal experiences about my journey of independence and efforts so that they can see that if I can do it, they can do it too in their own suitable ways. Besides, I also organize many activities and events to create an environment for them to have the opportunity to exchange, learn and develop skills.”

Over the years, Hai Anh has participated in and organized many projects to support and develop the blind community across the country. One of the notable projects is The Eyes Project. “That is where we create opportunities for communication and sharing between blind and non-blind people. The goal of this project is to promote mutual understanding between the two communities, helping non-blind people gain a deeper insight into the lives and difficulties of blind people. In addition, I also co-founded a project with a friend to train cooking skills for blind people to help them become more independent and confident in life," Hai Anh said. In addition, Hai Anh is also the co-founder and currently holds the role of coordinator of the Online Public Administration Project. “The project was born with the goal of helping people with disabilities, especially the visually impaired, to access and use online public administrative services conveniently and independently. This project not only contributes to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities but also aims to support the goal of national digital transformation by 2030. By helping them confidently use online administrative services, we aim to narrow the gap between people with disabilities and society, helping them integrate more comprehensively in the digital age,” Hai Anh shared.

With his contributions and story of strong determination, Hai Anh is one of the individuals receiving the 2024 Beautiful Youth Award. “I feel extremely touched and grateful. This is not only a recognition of my efforts and endeavors, but also a great motivation for me to continue to contribute and spread positive values to the community. This award is not only a source of personal pride but also a strong belief that, no matter what the circumstances, if we persevere and do not give up, we can overcome and create miracles,” Hai Anh expressed.

The 2024 "Youth Living Well" Award is organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union in coordination with TCP Vietnam Company Limited. The honoring ceremony will take place in October 2024 in Hanoi.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/13-tuoi-moi-bat-dau-di-hoc-nu-sinh-khiem-thi-do-truong-dai-hoc-top-dau-185241007170310706.htm