Having been admitted to the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, USA), Gia Minh said that he "changed direction" and decided to pursue Environmental Science - a major that was contrary to his strengths and talents - by chance. In November 2019, while walking with his father on the street, he happened to see the scene of cleaners eating bread next to dozens of carts full of waste waiting for cars to transport it to the city's landfill. "Do you see that while many people are eating and resting in places with good conditions, there are also many people who have to work hard in harsh working conditions" - his father's fleeting words at that time are still deeply imprinted in Gia Minh's mind.

Vo Nguyen Gia Minh (12th grade student, Hanoi ) has just been admitted to the Environmental Science major at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) - a top public university in the US.

At that time, in addition to studying culture, the female student was passionate about music and painting. She had a hobby of painting and had participated in organizing and working as an assistant curator for a number of art exhibitions. Gia Minh also showed her talent for music when she was able to play many musical instruments such as: piano, violin, viola, drums, etc. The female student could even play 3 instruments in the school's symphony orchestra. As for the violin, Gia Minh could confidently stand in the first part of the orchestra. "At that time, whether I was performing at the Asia-Pacific Arts Festival with classical piano and drums or playing for entertainment at home, I found great joy in the diverse language of music. For me, music is like a universal language that transcends all boundaries and connects people together," Gia Minh shared about her passion. But the surprise came not only to everyone in the family but also to Gia Minh herself. After his father's accidental comment "about the hardships of environmental sanitation workers", Gia Minh was urged and on New Year's Eve that year, he decided not to stay at home but to go meet the street cleaners. That was also the time when he saw on the empty streets, groups of environmental workers still diligently cleaning up all kinds of garbage... For them, the work was really hard, lack of recognition and financial difficulties,... all of which moved him. From then until now, for 4 consecutive New Year's Eves, Gia Minh did not stay at home but went to many places to meet, chat and give gifts, sharing the Tet atmosphere with environmental workers. "Through those experiences, I not only broadened my perspective on life but also saw that I needed to share more with the people around me", Gia Minh confided. It was also through those years of closeness and sharing that Gia Minh gradually felt like contributing to finding ways to solve large social problems.

Gia Minh meets, shares and gives gifts to environmental sanitation workers on New Year's Eve for many years in a row.

After many years of sharing with janitors, I clearly see that the collection, classification and treatment of garbage in urban areas of our country is not scientifically arranged. Therefore, there is a "chaotic" situation of unsorted garbage, foul smell and loss of urban landscape. "I am even more concerned when I see the scene of janitors working hard to clean up garbage day and night, regardless of rain or shine, but it seems like there is never a end to the work," Gia Minh said. More deeply, I see that the hardship of janitors mostly comes from the process of classifying garbage at the source, people's awareness and human behavior towards the environment from littering to untreated wastewater when discharged into rivers and lakes; even the policy on garbage treatment in particular and the environment in general still has many problems that need to be amended soon. Instead of deciding to study hot majors such as AI, finance, communications, business administration, etc. in the 12th grade study abroad application round, Gia Minh decided to pursue Environmental Science. “I want to go to school to find a way to change, the simplest way is to optimize the process of collecting and processing garbage,” Gia Minh said about his desire. Gia Minh also shared his journey and experiences over many years and his desire to change in his essay sent to American universities. In addition to his essay with many materials from life, Gia Minh also has impressive academic achievements when he won many international awards in Mathematics and Physics such as the Gold Medal of the International Math Challenge; Silver Medal of the International Youth Math Challenge; Encouragement Prize of the Physico Challenge, Stemco Olympiad... He was also the chair of the United Nations simulation conference for students of international schools in Asia. Recently, she received good news with the announcement of admission from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) - a top public university in the US. Gia Minh said that upon receiving the news of her admission, she was extremely happy because her goal of pursuing sustainable environmental development, more specifically, changing the environment in Vietnam, was gradually realized. In addition to UC Berkeley, Gia Minh was also admitted and received admission letters from 5 other universities in the US. Deciding to pursue a not-so-hot major, aware of many challenges, especially job opportunities after returning home, Gia Minh did not waver: "I chose this major because I believe that the environment is one of the important factors, even decisive in whether a country is developed and rich or not". The female student believes that, with the changes in thinking and high determination in protecting the country's environment, if she studies well, she will not lack opportunities to prove herself in the future. “I want my direction to change the mindset and awareness of the community and bring values ​​to the quality of life in the future.” Gia Minh said that in August he will go to the US to study with the hope of researching environmental policies, waste management systems and the impact on human behavior, etc. At this time, in addition to completing high school, Gia Minh is planning to equip himself with more skills to adapt to an independent life in the upcoming university environment.

Vietnamnet.vn

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