The events
Nguyen Phuc Son's journey to becoming the valedictorian is a fairy tale in real life, written by extraordinary willpower. Son is the second child in a family of three children. His parents separated when he was only two years old. His mother had to struggle all over to make a living. Son's three children grew up under the care of their grandmother.
Nguyen Phuc Son, student K47 ( Hanoi Pedagogical University 2), defended his graduation thesis with his seniors K46
The most profound impression in Son's childhood memory is the poor household certificate that has always been with his family throughout 12 years of studying. Despite being poor in every way, Son was very eager to learn, especially passionate about English. That poor boy often borrowed old books from his friends, persistently practicing each vocabulary and each sentence pattern. Thanks to that, Son always achieved excellent results and often represented the school in competitions for excellent students, winning many awards.
Nguyen Phuc Son and his nephew on his university graduation day
When Son was in 11th grade, tragedy struck. Son’s eldest sister accidentally got pregnant and gave birth to an unwanted child. More than two weeks after giving birth, she left, leaving her newborn son in the care of his grandmother. From then on, in the small house in the countryside of Thanh Hoa , the image of a student holding his grandchild in his arms, rocking him to sleep while studying, became familiar.
“There were nights when my grandchild had a fever, I had to stay up all night to look after him, and still go to class in the morning. During the university entrance exam period, many nights I held my grandchild in one arm and studied with the other, it was very tiring. But thinking of my grandmother and grandchild, I did not allow myself to collapse,” Son said.
“Nguyen Phuc Son is a student with extremely difficult circumstances but has extraordinary determination, a kind heart and intelligence. Instead of being self-conscious or blaming his circumstances, Son always chooses to try his best. What impresses me most about Son is his serious, proactive and creative learning spirit. In class, he always actively speaks up, proactively researches documents and asks many profound questions.”
Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Nhat, Head of English Department, Hanoi National University of Education 2
With the desire to escape poverty through knowledge, in 2019, Son excelled in entering the Foreign Trade University, campus 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, majoring in Foreign Economics . However, just two months after enrolling, his grandmother, whom Son considered his “second mother”, passed away. That loss caused the world around Son to collapse. “She was the only support for the three sisters. At that time, my nephew was just over 1 year old, everything was so vague and disoriented,” Son recalled.
Faced with such a huge incident, Son had to put aside his dream of going to university and return to his hometown to be the breadwinner of his family. The burden of making a living weighed heavily on his young shoulders, Son worked all kinds of jobs to help his mother take care of the family and raise his grandchildren. Son used to work in Hanoi, saving every penny to support his family. But the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020-2021, and the difficulties became more complicated when he could not find a job. The pressure of making a living weighed heavily, so Son applied to work abroad, hoping to find another way out for himself.
Then he happened to read the admission information of Hanoi Pedagogical University 2. Knowing that pedagogical students are exempted from tuition fees and enjoy support policies according to Decree 116, Son felt like he "found the light at the end of the tunnel". "When I read this information, I was overjoyed, thinking to myself: maybe this is my last chance to continue studying. I applied for admission to Hanoi Pedagogical University 2 and was lucky to be accepted. My dream of becoming a student has come true", Son emotionally recounted.
Go to school with your grandchildren
On the day he was about to leave for school, Son faced a difficult decision about the fate of his little nephew. “Who will take care of the little nephew at home, while his mother works to support her younger sister, who is often sick and hospitalized. If I go to school, who will he live with?”
That question made Son restless and sleepless many nights. Finally, he made a bold decision: to take his nephew to Vinh Phuc to both study and take care of him. In 2021, 20-year-old Nguyen Phuc Son and his 4-year-old nephew left their hometown to go to school, carrying with them many worries and also the dreams and ambitions of youth.
Son rented a small room near the school, starting his life as a “student father”, with a challenging journey of being a father, a mother, and an older brother to his nephew. Son’s student days were a long series of non-stop cycles. Every morning, Son woke up early to prepare breakfast and take his nephew to kindergarten. At noon, his nephew went to boarding school, Son asked the teacher to take him home until 6-7 pm so he could have time to tutor. “Many nights, I picked him up late at night, and after eating, both of us were so tired that we fell asleep without realizing it,” Son recalled.
At first, the story of the “student father” bringing his young child to school caused many people to whisper and gossip. But when they understood Son’s situation, teachers and friends sympathized, shared and joined hands to help. Son was lucky to have a group of close friends who were always ready to support him, taking turns looking after his child when he was busy studying or working part-time.
One time, during a two-week military training course, Son had to leave his nephew with a friend to take care of him. However, things did not always go smoothly. Many days when the kindergarten was suddenly closed, Son had to take his nephew to the lecture hall. The child sat obediently next to him, playing with small toys or drawing while Son took notes on the lecture. “He was trained to be independent from a young age, so he was very well-behaved, did not cry or make noise. The teachers all loved him and created favorable conditions for the two of us,” Son said.
In the eyes of his friends, the image of a skinny student, carrying a backpack on one side and holding a child on the other, has become familiar. They jokingly call the child Son’s “attachment” because he takes the child with him everywhere.
Sowing seeds of knowledge in poor land
From the first days of school, Son set a goal to graduate as quickly as possible to reduce the financial burden. To graduate early, there were periods when Son registered for 14-15 courses, studying continuously from Monday to Sunday.
Son also participates in scientific research. The topic "Using Write&Improve automatic writing assessment software to improve English writing skills for students in difficult circumstances" was carried out by Son alone. "There were times when I was exhausted, I wanted to give up, wondering if it was necessary? But thinking about the 5 million VND bonus if the topic was accepted. For me, this is a large sum of money for my two nephews. So I threw myself into studying and researching again," Son said.
As a result, the topic helped him win First Prize at the Faculty level, First Prize at the School level, and was honored with an Encouragement Prize at the Ministry level.
Son set a goal of achieving high scores to win the scholarship. He achieved 6/6 excellent scholarship semesters and graduated 3 years early, instead of the required 4 years. “For others, the scholarship may just be an incentive to study, but for me, it is an additional source of funding to cover living expenses, so I have to try my best to study,” Son said.
In November 2024, Nguyen Phuc Son officially graduated with honors from Hanoi National University of Education 2, with an average score of 3.81/4.0 and a training score of 93/100. Son is also the author of two scientific articles scored by the State Council of Professors, is the head of two school-level research topics, co-author of a report at the VietTESOL 2024 International Conference; and won second prize nationwide in the "Teachers in My Eyes" contest.
Right after graduating, Son received many attractive job offers from schools in Hanoi. But instead of choosing to stay in the city with a stable income, he decided to return to the countryside to start his journey of spreading knowledge. Son is currently an English teacher at An Hoa Secondary School (Trang Bang town, Tay Ninh province).
“I had a difficult childhood and longed to learn a foreign language but had no means to. Therefore, I want to teach in the countryside, so that students here have more opportunities to access English, nurture their dreams and confidently reach out to the world,” Son said.
For Son, the title of excellent valedictorian is not only a source of pride, but also a responsibility of a young teacher who has gone through hardships, now returning to sow seeds of knowledge, inspiring green shoots growing from poor soil, with his own story of perseverance.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhung-thu-khoa-xuat-sac-truyen-cam-hung-bai-4-nghi-luc-phi-thuong-cua-ong-bo-sinh-vien-post1795680.tpo
Comment (0)