Two female English majors achieve their dream of going to the United States.

Two students, Tran Thai Phuong and Phan Binh Phuong Nhi, from the 11th grade English class at Le Quy Don Specialized High School (Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province), have been honored with scholarships under the On-Demand Youth Leadership Program (ODYLP), funded by the U.S. Government. Soon, they will have exciting experiences in several U.S. cities to exchange ideas, enhance their leadership skills, and engage in cultural exchange.

Phuong Nhi, along with many other students, learned about and participated in this scholarship program. This event, organized by the U.S. Department of Education (ECA), commemorates the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. The program focuses on youth leadership, cultural exchange, and volunteering.

Phuong Nhi and Thai Phuong (3rd and 4th from the right in the bottom row) pose for a commemorative photo with the group of students selected to participate in the program at the American Center in Hanoi - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

The contestants went through two rounds of competition: essay writing and interviews. The essay writing section consisted of eight short essays expressing viewpoints on various fields such as leadership skills, understanding of culture and influential issues, plans for contributing to the community, personal reflections, etc. “For the essay on a topic considered important, I chose to write about peace . Because I believe this is something that Vietnam and all of humanity are striving for.”

"Besides that, I also wrote about my own experiences in the field of leadership, from activities at school and in class to personal projects, so that the judges could see my suitability for this scholarship," Thai Phuong said.

Meanwhile, Phuong Nhi spent a month researching the essay requirements of the scholarship program and connecting them to her experiences and values ​​in order to write the most authentic portrayal of herself.

Phuong Nhi shared: “My dream is to become a teacher, so I focused on education and chose it as the starting point for my essay. Combining this with valuable experiences in volunteering and leadership during my studies, extracurricular activities, and clubs, along with my desire to challenge myself in new areas, helped me complete my essays to the best of my ability.” Phuong Nhi believes this scholarship is a tremendous opportunity for her.

Because the United States is a developed country, it was a dream I never thought I could set foot in. “But now that dream has come true. I remember when I received the email notifying me of my scholarship, I was so happy I jumped for joy and shouted, it was already 10 PM. I was even happier to have my friend Thai Phuong with me,” Phuong Nhi recalled.

Thai Phuong shared that this scholarship is a great opportunity for her to study and gain experience, improve her leadership skills, and most importantly, to represent young Vietnamese people and proudly share the beautiful culture of her country with international friends.

“I see this scholarship as a great motivation and a springboard to be more confident in the future. It also reminds me to always strive, make efforts to seize opportunities, and achieve my goals. Through this experience, I also hope to seek further opportunities to have a good learning environment at university, and if possible, an opportunity to study abroad,” Thai Phuong shared.

The students said that although this is a long trip away from home and to a country very far from Vietnam, with the companionship and understanding of their friends and the support and encouragement from their families, they will have a fun trip with many valuable experiences.

Nhi and Phuong prepared souvenirs – traditional fabric fans with images of Vietnam – to give to their friends and the program organizers in the United States. Through this upcoming trip, they hope to learn many new things so that upon their return they can help their country and contribute to strengthening the relationship between Vietnam and the United States.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, homeroom teacher of the 11th grade English class, said she was very happy that her students had worked hard and excellently won well-deserved scholarships. She mentioned that in the class, Thai Phuong is the Youth Union Secretary and Phuong Nhi is the Deputy Youth Union Secretary.

Both children are well-behaved, academically gifted, possess leadership skills, are outgoing, and participate in meaningful volunteer activities for the community.

"I hope the children will have a memorable trip of a lifetime and gain valuable experiences, learning many interesting things from the program. From there, they will become more mature and reach for bigger dreams in the future," Ms. Trang expressed.

Duc Viet

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/hai-nu-sinh-chuyen-anh-dat-uoc-mo-den-hoa-ky-194223.htm