Blind boy wins Australian scholarship: "Except for my mother, no one believed I could do it"

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The journey to win a scholarship lasted three years, with two rejections, but visually impaired young man Hoang Nhat Minh did not give up. On the third attempt, he succeeded and received a scholarship from the Australian Government .

The moment Nhat Minh received the scholarship (Photo: Quan Dinh).

Besides my mother, no one believed I could win the scholarship.

Born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Hoang Nhat Minh attended Nguyen Dinh Chieu Special School for visually impaired students. His mother was his constant support, instilling in him the belief that higher education was always within his reach.

At this special school, Minh was inspired by two friends, Nguyen Tuan Tu and Nguyen Thanh Vinh, who had won scholarships to study at the prestigious international school. Their success ignited in Minh the dream of winning his own scholarship.

After graduating from high school, Minh applied to five universities, but four rejected him. These universities argued that a visually impaired student would find it difficult to succeed in fields requiring high levels of creativity, such as languages ​​or media studies.

RMIT University Vietnam decided to award him a full scholarship to study Professional Communication.

The field Minh chose to study at school requires practical skills such as filmmaking and photography, skills that many might think a visually impaired person couldn't perform. "I used to think I couldn't do it, but the encouragement from my teachers and friends changed my perspective," Minh said.

Although studying was challenging, overcoming social prejudice was even harder. "When I won the scholarship, besides my mother, no one believed I could do it," Minh recalled. His mother's belief became a guiding light, helping him overcome all difficulties.

Nhat Minh has proven that people with disabilities can achieve more than society thinks. (Photo: Quan Dinh)

Rejected twice but still not giving up

After graduating from RMIT, Minh took on the role of Child Development and Special Education Specialist at Saigon Children's Charity. There, Minh was responsible for projects related to online safety and managing the communication channels of the Special Education Program.

Besides her work at Saigon Children's Charity, Minh also serves as a mentor for students at a vocational training center for autistic children, and teaches Aikido to students with Down syndrome at the PEAWIL organization.

Determined to push his limits, Hoang Nhat Minh applied for the Australian Government Scholarship, one of the most prestigious and competitive scholarships.

Minh's journey to win the scholarship lasted three years, with two rejections, but he didn't give up. Instead, he continuously improved his application, learned from his failures, and came back stronger after each attempt.

Minh dreams of building a more inclusive society where everyone is empowered to reach their full potential (Photo: Quan Dinh).

On his third attempt, Minh succeeded and officially became the recipient of the Australian Government scholarship. He was particularly impressed with the program's people-centered approach, which allows students with disabilities to bring a support person with them throughout their studies.

This year, Minh will begin a Master of Education program at Flinders University (Australia), focusing on three main areas: Special Education and Inclusive Education, School Counseling, and Educational Management. Minh hopes to use this knowledge to promote reforms in inclusive education policies in Vietnam.

After completing his master's program, Minh plans to spend two to four years working in Singapore or Malaysia, countries known for their advanced inclusive education systems.

He hopes to learn from modern inclusive education models and build relationships with global experts in the field.

Minh also plans to return to Vietnam and establish a "Support Circle" for people with disabilities, focusing on support from family, community, and society. Minh's goal is to develop inclusive education programs and implement individualized learning plans for students with disabilities at Vietnamese universities.

Dinh's Army

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/chang-trai-khiem-thi-gianh-hoc-bong-uc-ngoai-me-khong-ai-tin-toi-co-the-20250102113058715.htm