Pham Gia Nguyen, a 12th grade Physics major student at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, recently received news that he was accepted into Columbia University, one of the eight prestigious Ivy League schools in the United States. In addition, the male student also passed a series of top 50 schools in this country.
“Columbia has a pretty low acceptance rate this year, so I didn’t have high expectations. When I received my acceptance letter from the school, I was overwhelmed, but I still wanted to wait for the final results from the University of Pennsylvania before deciding which school to attend next fall,” Gia Nguyen said.
Pham Gia Nguyen, a 12th grade Physics major student at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted. (Photo: NVCC)
With a father working in interior design, Gia Nguyen said that both his parents wanted him to pursue this field. But Nguyen soon realized that he had no talent for art. At the beginning of 10th grade, the whole family had to sit down and analyze Nguyen's strengths and weaknesses, and orient his study and career path accordingly.
During that time, Nguyen was suggested by Ms. Pham Vu Bich Hang, the homeroom teacher of the Physics class and also the head of the school's Robotics club, to join the club. This opportunity completely changed Nguyen's direction.
“I found joy in 3D design, processing and assembling robots. Because of my passion, there were times when I had to study day and night, but I didn’t feel tired. The first competition I participated in was the World Robotics Olympiad in the summer of grade 10. This award was the premise for me to pursue the field of robotics,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen’s quick “joining in” surprised Ms. Hang. In less than 2 months from learning theory to practice, with the determination to design and optimize the robot, Nguyen led the team from zero to the top 4 in the country.
“After the competition, Nguyen was elected by his clubmates as deputy head of the mechanical department, participating in many professional training activities and organizing many events,” said Ms. Bich Hang.
Gia Nguyen has just been admitted to Columbia University (Photo: NVCC)
In 2024, Nguyen and his teammates competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge. While the team prepared the robot for the competition, the school's principal allowed the lab to be open from 6am to 11pm. However, during the final stages, Nguyen's team almost ate and slept at school to work on the robot.
“Some days, the whole group worked until 3-4am. However, I didn’t feel tired, on the contrary, I was very happy and felt that this was a memorable experience,” Nguyen said.
In this tournament, Nguyen's team won the Vietnamese championship by programming mechanical robots, but was not selected to participate in the world round in the US. Although regretful, during the competition, Nguyen improved many skills, mastering 3D design and mechanical thinking.
This year, Nguyen plays a different role - as a coach for the juniors participating in the international round in Texas, USA. This team also just won the runner-up position among more than 250 national teams from countries and territories.
To date, Gia Nguyen has participated in 5 large-scale competitions in the field of robotics. He is a member of Samsung Membership and won second prize in the national Solve for Tomorrow award in 2025.
Student Pham Gia Nguyen (Photo: NVCC)
Because of his passion for this field, Gia Nguyen did not have much difficulty expressing "who he is" in his study abroad application.
“Many people like to do diverse activities in many fields, I found my passion in technology and robotics. I put 100% of my focus and enthusiasm into it. The diversity in my profile comes from activities related to this passion,” Nguyen said.
In his main essay, Nguyen mentioned a special friend - someone who was often bullied because of his communication difficulties, but was a very good student, participated in the Road to Olympia contest and won the national excellent student award.
“When I met you, I gradually changed my perspective on many issues. For example, when playing basketball, I always pursued perfection, meaning I had to be the best. When I failed, I collapsed. But thanks to you, I realized that each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. To live happily, I don't focus on my weaknesses but need to use my strengths to help others move forward,” Nguyen said.
Impressed with Nguyen, Ms. Bich Hang said that, in addition to her passion for robotics, Nguyen works very scientifically , creatively, and has outstanding persuasion and argumentation skills.
According to Nguyen, to achieve this result, he always has goals, is passionate about everything and committed to what he has set out to do.
“I hope to continue pursuing mechanical engineering in the US. After graduating, I will try my hand in a new field, in a skill I have never tried before, such as management. That will probably be a very interesting journey,” Nguyen excitedly shared.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nam-sinh-chuyen-ly-trung-tuyen-dai-hoc-tinh-hoa-nuoc-my-nho-niem-dam-me-robot-ar938914.html
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