Portrait of a 'village school' male student who made it to the Olympic team, 15 years old, 8.0 IELTS
Báo Dân trí•15/04/2024
(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Tran Tuan Anh, from Huong Son ( Ha Tinh province ), is the only student among the 37 members of this year's Asian and International Olympic team who does not attend a specialized school.
Tran Tuan Anh is currently in class 12A1 at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School in Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province. Tuan Anh's hometown is in the mountainous Huong Son district. Wanting the best possible learning environment for their son, Tuan Anh's parents moved to Duc Tho. This allowed Tuan Anh to enroll in Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School, a school in a poor district but with top academic achievements in Ha Tinh province. At the age of 7, Tuan Anh was introduced to computers by his parents. He taught himself programming online. In 5th grade, Tuan Anh won an award for outstanding young computer science students. However, when he entered middle school, Tuan Anh focused on learning English. At the end of 9th grade, he achieved an IELTS score of 8.0.
Tran Tuan Anh, a student in class 12A1, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School, Ha Tinh (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).
With his outstanding foreign language skills, when he entered 10th grade, Tuan Anh received extra tutoring in English from his teachers at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School. He was selected to participate in the provincial-level English competition and won third prize. However, his teachers realized that he had an even more special talent in another subject: computer science. "I myself see English as just a tool, so I want to develop my other strengths," Tuan Anh shared. Switching to the computer science team was a wise decision for Tuan Anh. He said that the moment he solves a difficult problem is "extremely joyful and exciting, like the feeling of winning a game, it makes me very happy." Sharing about his study methods, Tuan Anh said that he doesn't set a fixed schedule, studies flexibly, and always allocates enough time for recreation and doing things he enjoys. Some days he studies for 12 hours, some days for 2-3 hours, and some days he studies at all, letting his mind rest completely by watching funny videos online or playing games with friends. When he encounters a math problem he can't solve, Tuan Anh also pauses to go cycling. While cycling, Tuan Anh continues to think about the problem he hasn't been able to solve. "At that time, my body gets exercise, training my muscles and endurance, while my brain is still doing what it enjoys," Tuan Anh explains about his habit.
A portrait of Tran Tuan Anh in everyday life (Photo: Provided by the subject).
In 11th grade, Tuan Anh won first prize in the provincial-level Informatics Olympiad for gifted students. In 12th grade, Tuan Anh won second prize in the national-level Informatics Olympiad for gifted students, advancing to the second round of the selection process for the international and Asian Informatics Olympiad teams, becoming one of only two students from Ha Tinh province to be part of these teams. The other is Tran Minh Hoang, a student from Ha Tinh Specialized High School, a member of the Mathematics Olympiad team. Even more remarkably, Tuan Anh is the only student among the 37 teams who did not attend a specialized high school. Tuan Anh's next goal is to conquer the Asia- Pacific Informatics Olympiad and reach the top 6 in the international Informatics Olympiad. "At this stage, the biggest challenge for me and my teammates is securing a place in the top 6. Everyone is very talented and hardworking, so instead of trying to surpass them, I focus on studying and practicing to improve my own abilities," Tuan Anh said. Mr. Phan Huu Quyen, Vice Principal of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School, said that Tuan Anh not only has excellent academic achievements but is also very dynamic and active in extracurricular activities. Currently, Tuan Anh is the class president of class 12A1 and participates in many extracurricular clubs at the school in a leadership role. Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School was established in 1972 in Duc Tho town, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province. For many years, the school's achievements in student competitions have been second only to Ha Tinh Specialized High School. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school won 18 first prizes in the provincial-level student competition alone. "Duc Tho is a poor rural area. Here, people still say they only have two occupations: farming and raising their children and sending them to school. The achievements of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School are thanks to its capable and dedicated teaching staff, who wholeheartedly devote themselves to teaching their students. At our school, any teacher assigned to mentor gifted students has to make material sacrifices, but they are always ready and consider it an honor. As a non-specialized public high school, we value talent discovery, finding every solution and not hesitating to change to nurture our students, helping them develop their abilities to the fullest. When necessary, the school is ready to invest in facilities, machinery, and equipment so that our students have the best learning conditions and can confidently express themselves in exams. What we always hope for and are proud of in our students is not just academic achievement, but that they have continued the tradition of studiousness in this land, having a great love for learning and knowledge. That will be "This equips them with the confidence to step out into the wider world," shared teacher Phan Huu Quyen.
Comment (0)