The boy became valedictorian 4 times because of his mother's dream

To this day, Phu still vividly remembers the times he and his brothers went to collect mango seeds to exchange for instant noodles or when the family was in trouble, his mother had to pawn the gold bracelet her grandmother left behind. Those memories motivated him to study to escape poverty.

Le Hai Phu (born in 1993) was known as the valedictorian of the 2011 high school graduation exam in Tien Giang province. Four years later, he graduated as valedictorian of the Foreign Trade University, Ho Chi Minh City campus, with a near-perfect score. He studied for a master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Carnegie Mellon University (USA) and graduated as valedictorian.

To achieve this achievement, Phu said the biggest motivation that always makes him strive is his mother's sacrifice and dream.

Le Hai Phu graduated as valedictorian four times. (Photo: NVCC)

In Phu’s memory, his mother was a hard-working woman. Orphaned at the age of 4, she had to drop out of school at the age of 10 because she did not have enough papers and due to difficult economic conditions, she had to do many jobs to earn an income. However, her dream of going to school always burned in her.

“My mother often told us about her dream of going to school. She dropped out of school early, but to this day, she still remembers clearly the poems she learned more than 60 years ago. Perhaps that is why she always devoted herself to fostering the dream of her children going to school, despite the family's many difficulties.”

With many children, Phu’s family often had to live in poverty. Every time they were in trouble, his mother would pawn the gold bracelet her grandmother had left her. That bracelet helped Phu’s seven siblings grow up and go to school.

As if understanding their mother's dream and hardship, all 7 siblings were eager to study. Phu's best memories were the afternoons when the brothers and sisters studied by themselves, then went to the fields to catch golden apple snails or collected mango seeds together, every 100 seeds could be exchanged for 3 packs of instant noodles.

During the flood season, to get to school, the students have to cross flooded roads. Many days, they tripped and fell in the middle of the road, their clothes covered in mud. They had to go home to change clothes before being able to go to class.

In the countryside, people are attached to the fields all year round, few people get to study at a higher level, but his mother believes that no matter how hard she suffers, her children must have a good education, after 12 years they can go to college or university. Thanks to that, Phu's older siblings, one became a teacher, one became a pharmacist...

“My brothers and sisters all have a sense of independence, high sense of responsibility and always try their best quietly, not relying on their parents. That is the example for me to follow,” Phu said.

Le Hai Phu and his mother on the day he received his master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Photo: NVCC).

Trying hard like his siblings, during the high school graduation exam, surpassing tens of thousands of candidates, Phu ranked first in the province and received a laptop as a gift for entering university.

After that, he passed both the Foreign Economic Relations major of the Foreign Trade University and the Medicine major of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City. Phu did not choose medicine because he wanted to study quickly to graduate soon. At Foreign Trade University, he tried to win a scholarship so he did not have to pay tuition fees, and worked part-time to earn money to cover living expenses.

While many of his friends had a clear direction and invested heavily in studying abroad since their first year, Phu thought it was “out of reach” because the cost of studying abroad was very expensive. The turning point for Phu came when he became valedictorian, graduating early with 7 scholarships from the school. He decided to find a new environment to challenge himself and make his mother proud.

After graduating, Phu applied to study in the US, with his mother as his biggest motivation. “When I was a child, I wished my mother would stop standing in the mud and go to more beautiful places. I dreamed of taking my mother to America at least once in her life.”

However, Phu admitted that he had many shortcomings at that time, from his essay writing ability to his research achievements. But he calmly prepared step by step, self-studying English, studying for the GRE - the graduate school entrance exam - and writing essays.

In the essay, Phu told his own story with the most genuine emotions and desires. Thanks to this, not long after, he was accepted to many top schools in the world , but in the end he chose the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Phu and his mother on their graduation day from Carnegie Mellon University. (Photo: NVCC)

When he first came to America, Phu encountered difficulties due to the difference in culture and educational style. Although he was very shy at first, he understood that only by changing himself could he integrate into the new environment.

After that, Phu registered for 3-4 more courses each semester to have more opportunities to interact with professors and classmates. Without pressure about grades, what made him passionate about studying was the desire to discover his own hidden potential. Outside of school, Phu actively participated in research and teaching assistantship. At the end of the program, he became one of the valedictorians honored in the US.

With a passion for data science, Phu applied to and was accepted into many top schools. He chose to study Data Science at Carnegie Mellon University - the world's leading school for artificial intelligence. Once again, he graduated as valedictorian with scores far above his classmates.

Gwendolyn Stanczak, director of the Graduate School at Carnegie Mellon University, said Phu earned an A+ in all of his courses and thesis. This is an unprecedented achievement for the department. Meanwhile, leading professor Manfred Paulini also highly appreciated Phu's modesty, intelligent thinking and responsible work spirit.

During his two master’s graduations in the US, Phu welcomed his mother to attend. Seeing his mother shed tears of happiness, he felt the most proud and sacred feeling, more than standing in prestigious halls or being accepted into top schools.

“I am grateful to my mother for all she has done. Her nurturing has shaped my sense of perseverance. Later, I could sit for hours to study or research unclear issues. She also taught me how to let go of unnecessary things to have a simpler life, accept imperfect things, be grateful for what has happened in life and be kind to those around me.”

Besides many teaching classes and research projects, over the years, Phu has actively helped poor students and families in difficult circumstances.

Recently, Phu had the opportunity to do a PhD and master's degree in another field at some of the world's top universities such as MIT, Cornell, Chicago, Yale, Harvard, Stanford... but he is considering it. In the near future, Phu plans to participate in many research projects related to data science, applications in the field of public health, and at the same time teach classes on data science and English.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chang-trai-4-lan-tro-thanh-thu-khoa-vi-uoc-mo-cua-me-2369032.html