Pham Van Thanh, born in 1998, has just become a freshman in the Literature department at Hanoi Pedagogical University. This is the second time the young man from Bac Giang has received an acceptance letter to university. In 2016, after graduating from Luc Ngan No. 2 High School, lacking clear direction, Thanh decided to take the entrance exam and was accepted into the People's Security Academy, fulfilling his family's wishes. After four years of study and training, Thanh graduated and returned to work in his hometown. However, Thanh still harbored a passion for literature. Whenever he had free time, he would help younger students with their studies, share his literary knowledge on social media platforms, and participate in writing competitions organized by his department. During his three years working in his hometown, Thanh gradually realized his desire to teach Literature. After struggling with anxieties and fears of judgment from others, Thanh finally decided to quit his current job to take the university entrance exam again. “At that time, my parents didn’t agree. Many people also advised me to continue with the profession. Some even said I was taking too much of a risk, wondering what would happen if I didn’t pass the exam. But I decided to listen to myself and pursue my dream, even though it was a bit late,” Thành said. Despite his determination, Thành spent many sleepless nights thinking about his future. He also realized that his journey was “very lonely.” “I did feel discouraged, but those moments didn’t last too long. I believe I chose the right path, that I’m living my passion and on the journey to conquer that passion,” Thành recalled.

Thanh has always dreamed of standing on the podium to teach Literature (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

Throughout the re-examination period, Thanh constantly reminded himself of his goals and desired score. While not aiming for a specific title like valedictorian or salutatorian, Thanh still set a target of a perfect 30. To motivate himself, he created a social media account, posting moments from his exam preparation, and setting the privacy setting to "only me." He also approached the teacher who had coached the provincial-level History team to ask for her help in his studies, and applied for additional classes in Literature and Geography from his former high school teachers, as well as registering for several online classes. Thanh divided his study schedule by week and month and diligently followed it. He believes that discipline and perseverance were key to maintaining his determination. Furthermore, his dream of becoming a Literature teacher helped him overcome the difficulties of having not touched high school knowledge for nearly eight years. With determination and effort, in this year's high school graduation exam, Thanh achieved a total admission score of 29.45, including a perfect 10 in History and Geography, 9.25 in Literature, and 0.2 priority points. Thanks to this, Thanh has "reached" his dream of becoming a new student in the Literature major at Hanoi Pedagogical University. "When I knew my score, I was proud and happy. My parents were also very happy, no longer doubting me, always by my side, encouraging me to try harder," Thanh said. Returning to the lecture hall, Thanh clearly felt the closeness and love, a place where he wanted to belong. At the opening ceremony, Thanh had the honor of standing up to share his story of pursuing his dream of studying literature.

Thanh has become a freshman in the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi Pedagogical University (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

While his peers have settled into jobs and even started families, Thành feels a certain amount of pressure starting over at the threshold of university. “I used to work and earn a salary. When I return to school, I don’t want to depend on my family, so I’ll tutor, but my most important goal is still to focus on my studies,” Thành said. Despite being busy, Thành maintains the habit of sharing his knowledge of literature on TikTok and history on a fan page. Since openly sharing his story, Thành has received many messages from strangers about the pressure and failures they face in pursuing their dreams. Thành honestly admits that he doesn’t know if the path he’s taking is the right one, or if he can succeed. “I just know how to ignore all difficulties and prejudices, turn all pressure into motivation, and try my best for my goal, persevering, being persistent, and disciplined. I believe that when one door closes, another will always open. When you yearn for something, the whole universe will conspire to help you achieve it. The universe will always listen to a resilient heart,” Thanh said.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chang-trai-bac-giang-tu-bo-cong-viec-on-dinh-thi-lai-vao-su-pham-2333698.html