How the valedictorian was born

TP - Exactly 10 years ago, during the school year, when talking about studying with Mr. Le Van Hung, originally from the Central region - at that time Head of Communications Department of Acecook VN Company, we recalled the hardships of being a student in a poor province. Looking back at reality, from the time we entered university in the early 1990s until now, there are still many students who passed the university entrance exam with very high scores, even valedictorians, but because of difficult circumstances, university lectures were just a dream.

Why doesn't Tien Phong newspaper - the official mouthpiece of the Central Youth Union, the forum for the youth of the whole country, "join hands" with donors to build a scholarship program to "help" poor valedictorians, especially those in remote areas? Mr. Hung and I were both concerned. On this occasion, Tien Phong newspaper had just been assigned by the Central Youth Union to be the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Young Talent Support Fund, and the then Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong newspaper, journalist Le Xuan Son, was given the position of Executive Vice President and Director of the Fund. I immediately asked for Mr. Le Xuan Son's opinion, and was encouraged by Mr. Son to implement it immediately. So, Mr. Hung and I, along with my colleagues at the Tien Phong newspaper Representative Board in Ho Chi Minh City, were determined to build a scholarship program specifically for new valedictorians from poor families.

In September, we thought of it, and in November, we successfully organized the first “Supporting Valedictorians” program with many unique and humane features. A series of tasks were urgently implemented, with continuous meetings of the Organizing Committee: Naming the program, designing the logo, the journey of “hunting” for poor valedictorians in universities and academies, building a benefit package to find sponsors…

With the criteria of "lifting up" the spirit and material for poor new valedictorians, we have built a full program with a series of activities: Finding poor valedictorians across the country with strict selection criteria, including a unique criterion that each new valedictorian when applying for a scholarship must have a handwritten letter. The organizers do not focus on the candidates' poverty and hardships, but on their aspirations for a bright future, full of positive energy through each word on the letter.

In the first year, from hundreds of applications, 50 new valedictorians from universities from Quang Tri and further south were selected to receive scholarships. The organizers covered all accommodation and travel expenses when inviting them to Ho Chi Minh City to interact with each other, with students from famous universities in Ho Chi Minh City, and with successful businessmen to receive positive energy and inspiration in life and study.

Students were able to visit famous attractions in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring localities; enjoy art programs performed by famous artists; wear valedictorian gowns, receive laurel wreaths, have their names called at the honor ceremony and receive certificates signed by the Director of the Vietnam Young Talent Support Fund.

Finally, the students received valuable cash scholarships (VND 10 million each), along with English classes, skills classes, valuable gifts such as smartphones, foreign language learning tools, backpacks, handbags... and a year of free instant noodles from Acecook Vietnam. What remained in the honoring ceremony were the emotional moments of interaction with the new valedictorians who represented the will to overcome adversity. Many tears were shed.

Tossing the valedictorian's hat - an impressive moment at the ceremony to honor and award the 2024 Valedictorian Scholarship at the Ho Chi Minh City end. Photo: Pham Tho

And so it goes. Nine seasons of the valedictorian promotion program have passed with nearly 1,000 students being "promoted". The following seasons are organized more fully and thoroughly than the previous season, the number of students receiving scholarships is increasing, and especially since 2021, the program has spread nationwide, organized in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The precious thing is that every year, the scholarship awarding ceremony for the new valedictorians has the presence and encouragement of the Central Youth Union Secretaries. The students are not only truly "promoted" materially, but more importantly, they are "promoted" spiritually, giving them wings as luggage to fly into the future.

In fact, there were times when it seemed impossible to organize the program due to many objective and subjective difficulties, especially finding funding sources. However, thanks to the encouragement and motivation of the Editorial Board, the leadership of the Young Talent Support Fund; the solidarity of colleagues at Tien Phong, and the cooperation of generous donors, we - the program organizers - always kept in mind that we must "overcome adversity" so that the program would not be interrupted, even during the 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. And so, this year - 2025, Raising Valedictorians confidently entered its 10th year.

I remember, in the 5th season, at the end of the ceremony, in the bustling atmosphere when taking souvenir photos between 85 new valedictorians, delegates and new beauty queens and runners-up, Mr. Le Xuan Son, Head of the Organizing Committee - Editor-in-Chief of Tien Phong newspaper at that time, told me: "Remind everyone to arrange the photos skillfully, don't let the new beauty queens and runners-up stand out too much in front of the new valedictorians because today is the day of the new valedictorians!".

Ly Thanh Tam

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nang-buoc-thu-khoa-ra-doi-nhu-the-post1751690.tpo