The journey of pursuing passion of a university valedictorian under 40

Among the 95 excellent valedictorians graduating from universities and academies in the capital this year, there is a student graduating at the age of 38. Ms. Mai Hoa stepped up to the podium after more than 10 years of trying her hand at many different professions and fields.

Ms. Mai Hoa at the Ceremony to honor the excellent graduates of universities and academies in Hanoi in 2025. (Photo provided by the character)

Before choosing the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, the valedictorian born in 1987 had a lot of work experience. Mai Hoa first became a student in 2005, at Hanoi University, majoring in English. After leaving the university, Mai Hoa worked as an office worker like many others. Nearly 10 years later, the 8x office worker decided to give up her stable job, take short-term business administration courses, get acquainted with trading, photography, and professional makeup in Thailand, then stick with this job for a while.

During this time, Mai Hoa wanted to pursue an art-related field such as fashion and interior design. However, she suddenly realized that everything was just the "tip", finding a job that she could do best, being dedicated and living to the fullest was the root. And that was painting. "Once you aim for a big goal, you will know how to arrange everything in life to be more suitable", Mai Hoa shared. Those thoughts helped her become a female student at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in 2020.

“In the past, when I went to university, I didn’t care much about the results, but perhaps simply applied the formula “study to get a degree-work-earn money”. But the second time, with a much higher and clearer goal, I saw the meaning of studying. More importantly, I was aware of finding the answer to who I am, what I want, how to be happy with my job?”, Ms. Mai Hoa recalled.

Pursuing a specific subject like painting is not easy, especially for a woman who has more or less responsibilities in life. In the first two years, there were times when she fell into a state of fatigue, exhaustion, even wanting to give up the lecture hall to return to the hustle and bustle of daily life. However, in the end, with the efforts, struggles as well as the encouragement and support from her family, the female art student not only overcame everything, but also became the excellent valedictorian of the school.

During her time back at school, she registered for many art competitions such as the First Prize at the school's 2025 Student Art Exhibition, the Encouragement Prize at the 2023 "Colors of Origin" Competition, and participated in a workshop organized by German artist Martin Haufe and the Goethe Institute...

Sending a message to young people who are still hesitant at the threshold of life, the U40 female valedictorian said: “All experiences in life are not redundant. If you do not stop learning, everyone will gain maturity and be able to build their own future. With any choice, try your best to have the best experiences for your own path.”

NGOC VY

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hanh-trinh-theo-duoi-dam-me-cua-thu-khoa-dai-hoc-u40-post928511.html