When courage and discipline bring female engineering students to the top

For the first time in the history of the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University), two female students simultaneously graduated as valedictorians with a perfect average score of 4.0/4.0. The achievements of Ho Tran Anh Thu and Nguyen Hoang Hong Phung not only set a record for one of the most demanding technical schools in the country, but also opened an important milestone in the strong rise of female students in the challenging STEM field.

The first two female valedictorians and their journey to conquer perfect scores

Coming from Can Tho, Ho Tran Anh Thu entered Bach Khoa University with the desire to challenge herself in a high-pressure technical environment. For 4 years, Thu maintained a GPA of 4.0, and at the same time possessed an outstanding "profile" including: Champion of INTERCHAIN ​​2024; First prize of Toward Smarter Logistics 2023; Encouragement prize of Logistics Talent 2024; co-author of two international scientific articles of IEEE and Springer and TOEIC 950.

Ho Tran Anh Thu received the cup and certificate of merit as Champion of INTERCHAIN ​​2024.

Following Thu's learning process, Dr. Nguyen Duc Duy (Department of Industrial Systems Engineering) highly appreciated the female student's thinking ability as well as her early maturity. "Thu lives with clear goals and plans, knows how to balance between studying and playing, so she has a comprehensive record of achievements. In studying, she is intelligent, careful and perfectionist, always setting higher requirements than the average. I really like this way of working, sometimes Thu is like a research colleague rather than a student", Dr. Nguyen Duc Duy shared.

Anh Thu's graduation project is currently being completed by Dr. Nguyen Duc Duy's research team to be submitted to Q1 magazine, the world's top 5% in the industry, clearly demonstrating the systematic thinking foundation that Thu built during her studies.

Unlike Anh Thu who is active in research, Nguyen Hoang Hong Phung stands out with her slow but very steady learning style. She applies the 80-20 principle, studies systematically and always sets goals for each stage.

As the person who directly guided Phung through her project and thesis, Ms. Bui Huy Hai Bich, Faculty of Industrial Management, was deeply impressed with the female student's working ability. "Phung always takes careful notes in a notebook instead of using a phone or computer. Before each meeting with the lecturer, she proactively prepares questions, discusses clearly and performs the requirements correctly. Phung rarely talks about herself but works very calmly. In her graduation thesis and when participating in student scientific conferences, she solves arising problems very firmly and convincingly," lecturer Hai Bich shared.

Hong Phung was awarded at the graduation ceremony last November, as one of the first two female students of Bach Khoa to achieve a perfect score with a GPA of 4.0.

Hong Phung once wanted to take a leave of absence due to pressure, but the story of a lecturer who failed Calculus and then tried to get back up helped her persevere. As a result, Phung completed the program with a GPA of 4.0, becoming one of the first two female students of the Polytechnic to achieve a perfect score.

Female STEM students: From “small” numbers to leading quality

Not only a personal achievement, the fact that two female students simultaneously achieved perfect scores reflects a positive trend at Polytechnics and major technical educational institutions.

From the perspective of training management, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Thang, Head of Training Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology - Vietnam National University, commented: “The students’ achievements reflect the increasingly strong trend of female students in STEM. Although female students only account for a small portion of the total number of Polytechnic students, the rate of female students achieving high achievements is always outstanding. Every year, 40-50% of students with the highest GPA are female. Anh Thu and Hong Phung are the clearest evidence of the courage and systematic thinking of women in the technical environment.”

Outstanding and outstanding Polytechnic students were honored at the graduation ceremony (Hong Phung and Anh Thu at the top, 5th and 6th from right).

It is possible to see the common characteristics of today's generation of female Polytechnic students: they are more confident in choosing STEM majors, proactively participate in research and academic criticism, maintain the discipline and perseverance needed to pursue long-term plans, and are always ready to step out of their comfort zone to try new fields.

Anh Thu shared: “If you are a woman and are still worried about entering technical school, believe that the limit lies in your thinking. When you are proactive and persistent enough, you will go further than you think.”

Hong Phung also sent a message: “Don’t be afraid of difficulties. Every day you move a little bit closer to your goal. The important thing is not to give up.”

The first two female valedictorians to achieve 4.0/4.0 not only set a new record for the University of Technology - Ho Chi Minh City National University but also opened a milestone for female engineering students: from a group of "small in quantity" to "leaders in quality". The journey of Anh Thu and Hong Phung is a clear proof that the mettle, systematic thinking and perseverance of women can absolutely create outstanding achievements in STEM fields.

Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Thang commented: "Female students of the University of Science and Technology not only keep up with the pace of majors that require logical thinking, system design and high pressure, but in many cases have risen to the top."

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/giao-duc/khi-ban-linh-va-ky-luat-dua-nu-sinh-nganh-ky-thuat-len-vi-tri-dan-dau-20251204154130931.htm