In the heavy rain, freshman Nguyen Duc (University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University) still got soaked to work at a shrimp farm to earn money to go to university - Photo: NHAT LINH
That is the application for the scholarship " Tiep suc den truong" (Tuoi Tre newspaper) of new student Nguyen Duc (22 years old, Huong Xuan ward, Huong Tra town, Thua Thien Hue ).
This year, Duc, 22 years old, has just received his university admission notice. The journey to school for this poor student who was physically and mentally malnourished was delayed for 4 years due to his family's difficult circumstances.
Working in the rain and shrimp pond to earn money for school
Unlike many of his peers, freshman Nguyen Duc has experienced the bitterness of making a living and is now determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a university student majoring in Fisheries Management - photo: NHAT LINH
Late autumn afternoon in Hue, the weather turned stormy, the shrimp farm with dozens of large and small square ponds of the University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University is located close to the coast of Phu Thuan commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue.
Mr. Hoa, in charge of the shrimp farm, pointed to the shrimp pond covered with a black plastic sheet, with the bottom exposed when we asked new student Nguyen Duc.
“Duc and his brothers are working at the lake, cleaning and wiping down the shrimp pond to prepare for the new crop. He is thin and weak, but enthusiastic and polite,” said Mr. Hoa.
In the middle of a shrimp pond of about 300 square meters, four young men braved the rain and the cold of late autumn and early winter in Hue to clean up the mud and moss that still clung to the walls and bottom of the pond. Freshman Nguyen Duc was the thinnest and lightest in the group.
Wearing a wet floppy hat, Duc held the water hose in one hand and the steel wool in the other, then lay down and clung to the edge of the shrimp pond to clean the mud off.
After cleaning the pond, his hands were wrinkled from the cold and wetness. It was one of the tasks that Duc was all too familiar with when working at this shrimp pond.
A child left alone after a breakup, living on the love of a sheltered home
To achieve his dream of becoming a fisheries engineer, Nguyen Duc has a long way to go – Photo: NHAT LINH
Duc is the result of an unfulfilled love between his father and mother. When he was 3 years old, his father and mother separated, each moving to a new place with a new family. Duc was abandoned in the world and was taken in by his aunt.
However, his aunt's family was also the poorest in the ward, so when he turned 6, Duc was sent to a child welfare center in Hue City.
Living without the warmth of his parents, many nights when all the lights were off, Duc would sneak to a corner of the central yard and sit there crying. In his memory, the image of his parents was just something very distant and vague.
“It was also thanks to the time at the center, going to school, being cared for and loved like a child in the family that helped me become stronger. Especially, when I was there, the teachers trained me to be independent and know how to take care of myself,” Duc said.
Power to School: Quit School to Help Aunt, Then Return to School Spectacularly
Alone in life, overcoming many difficulties, Nguyen Duc has now become a new student at the University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University - Photo: NHAT LINH
At the age of 14, Duc was asked by his aunt to return to his hometown to live with her so that they would not be alone and live on nothing.
Duc was loved by his aunt, but her family was very poor, the main income of the family was just a few vegetables in the corner of the garden. Feeling sorry for his aunt's hard work, after finishing 10th grade, Duc decided to drop out of school to work to help the family.
From serving at a coffee shop, washing dishes at a restaurant to helping at a wedding, Duc did it all. When he turned 18, Duc got his motorbike license and applied to deliver goods for a company in town. Once, while delivering a heavy load, Duc was hit by a truck, fell flat on his face, and the motorbike spilled gasoline all over the road.
During four years of manual labor, Duc never gave up the idea of going back to school. Having saved enough money, the young man decided to go to the Huong Tra Town ContinuingEducation Center to apply to retake 11th grade, when he was 20 years old.
Having to start over from the beginning made Duc want to stop again. But having experienced enough hardships to make a living, Duc told himself never to give up. He threw himself into studying, working three or four times harder than his classmates, to review his knowledge.
The result of Duc's sleepless nights studying for 2 years to return to school was that he passed the entrance exam to the Fisheries Management major, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University with a score of 20.45.
“I told myself that no matter how difficult it was, I would never give up on my studies again. I had to become a good agricultural engineer to get a job and earn money to repay the care of my aunt and the center’s staff,” Duc said.
The student created his own luck and the kindness of the lecturers of the Faculty of Aquaculture
Holding the university admission notice in his hand, Duc did not dare tell his aunt for fear that she would worry. Duc wandered around the northern bank of Hue City looking for extra work to earn money to pay for his tuition.
But no one would hire him from one shop to another. With no other choice, Duc took the risk of messaging the Facebook page of the University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, hoping that the school could let him… pay his first semester tuition on credit.
Luckily, I smiled at the student's efforts to not give up on fate. That text message was read by a teacher at the school and Duc's file was transferred to the Faculty of Aquaculture.
Holding the file in hand, Dr. Truong Van Dan, head of the Department of Aquaculture Fundamentals and Management, went to the house and verified the family background of new student Nguyen Duc.
“After verifying his circumstances, the school created conditions for Duc to work part-time at the school’s shrimp pond in Phu Thuan commune. Here, Duc will study and work, and every month, there will be a small monthly allowance for him to save up so that he can go to school,” said Mr. Dan.
Today, 91 new students were supported to go to school.
Today, October 9, 82 poor and studious students from Hue and 9 students from Quang Ngai will be awarded Tuoi Tre Newspaper's "Tiep suc den truong" scholarships. The awarding ceremony will take place in the afternoon of the same day, at the Thanh Nien Hue Guest House Hall, 91A Truong Gia Mo, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue Province.
The total cost of the program is over 1.5 billion VND, sponsored by the Thua Thien Hue “Supporting Students to School” Club, Phat Dat Real Estate Development Joint Stock Company, and Do Thanh Automobile Joint Stock Company (each scholarship is worth 15 million VND).
Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd. sponsored gifts for new students, Vinacam Scholarship Fund - Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company sponsored 02 laptops for new students with special difficulties who lack learning equipment.
This is the fourth awarding point in the 2024 “Tiep suc den truong” scholarship program for new students under the 593rd “For tomorrow’s development” program of Tuoi Tre newspaper. The 2024 “Tiep suc den truong” scholarship program of Tuoi Tre newspaper is for more than 1,100 new students in difficult circumstances nationwide with a total budget of more than 20 billion VND.
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