Ha Tinh female student wins scholarships to 16 American universities

Nguyen Phi Ha An ( Ha Tinh City) received a full scholarship worth 6.2 billion VND from Agnes Scott College, in addition to scholarships from 15 other universities and colleges in the US.

Dream of studying abroad in the "land of the free"

Since the beginning of March, Nguyen Phi Ha An (grade 12 English 1, Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted) has continuously received acceptance notices from 16 prestigious universities and colleges in the US, including: Gettysburg College, Dickinson College, Michigan State University, Depauw University, Furman University, Temple University... The scholarship amount for 4 years of study that the schools give Ha An is from 3-6.2 billion VND. Accordingly, the total value of the scholarship that this female student received from 16 schools is about 55.5 billion VND.

Nguyen Phi Ha An - owner of 16 scholarships worth more than 55 billion VND from prestigious universities and colleges in the US.

What is special is that Ha An received the notice of winning the largest scholarship and financial aid package, worth 6.2 billion VND, from Agnes Scott College right on her 18th birthday. This school is ranked at the top of the most innovative liberal arts colleges in the US.

Unable to hide her happiness, Ha An shared that she will never forget the moment she received the news that she had won a scholarship from her dream school, because this is the dream that she has been pursuing for the past 13 years.

The female student said that since 5th grade, she has been passionate about studying abroad in the US through the movies and music videos of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. In order to realize her dream, Ha An began to get acquainted with and gradually fell in love with English. During the following school years, she made a clear and methodical plan to complete her application for a scholarship to study abroad in the US.

Ha An has a clear and methodical plan to "hunt for scholarships" to study abroad in the US.

Right from entering high school, besides studying hard, Ha An devoted her first two years to social activities. In grade 10, she was the founder of projects to give gifts to patients at Ha Tinh Mental Hospital, Ha Tinh Orphanage; sold gai cakes to raise funds... In grade 11, Ha An became Vice President of the Gen 8 Cham Club, Vice President of the Shine Music Club, founded the project "Love Bus" and many other meaningful projects. In grade 12, Ha An focused on completing her study abroad application.

Ha An (second from right) participates in giving gifts to patients at Ha Tinh Mental Hospital.

“I prepared very early for the scholarship application. Although there were many more excellent candidates, thanks to my understanding of what the admissions officers needed, I was very confident in my study abroad application. I thought that not only high scores and participating in many projects would lead to success, but instead, I would show the admissions officers the differences that I could bring,” Ha An shared.

"Bargaining" with recruiters

Self-assessing that she is not as smart or quick to understand as her friends, being the type of person who "learns 10 and understands 1", therefore, Ha An always tries hard and studies a lot to achieve the desired results.

The female student shared that after many years of studying and finding the best learning method, it was not until grade 8 that she achieved her first achievement with an IELTS score of 6.5. In the final stage, Ha An studied continuously with an intensity of 17-18 hours a day. The female student said that this was the time when she was participating in the national English team and completing her study abroad application to meet the deadlines of the recruiting schools. Having to wait for interviews from the schools due to the time difference made her daily time even more limited.

However, Ha An always tries to take time to relax by listening to music or turning to Buddhism. This is also shown in her essay. Among the 7 essay topics, Ha An chose the topic: "Write about something that changes your perspective on life?" to express her thoughts and perspectives. The female student's essay has a very special title: "Namo Amitabha Buddha".

Music and Buddhism are two elements that Ha An chose to include in her scholarship application essay.

Within 1 week, I wrote 21 different essays, contacted teachers and seniors to learn how to write in a way that is easy to read and understand. As a result, the essay made a strong impression on the admissions officers when conveying the message of wanting to bring music to soothe pain and unhappiness, as well as the prayer - "Namo Amitabha Buddha" that heals the soul when facing difficulties.

Not stopping at the desire to receive 30-40% scholarships from universities, Ha An continued to launch a new campaign to "bargain" with employers. Specifically, the female student sent emails to schools hoping to receive more financial support based on a win-win relationship.

She also had to go through two tense closed interviews at the decisive moments of closing the application. With her courage and confidence, Ha An became the only international student to receive a full scholarship from Agnes Scott College this school year.

Experiences from extracurricular activities give Ha An positive energy to pursue her dreams.

Ha An confided: “To achieve these successes, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my parents, family, teachers, friends, and seniors who have always supported, encouraged, and accompanied me throughout the past time. Those great sources of encouragement are always indispensable companions in my current and future journey.”

Ha An's plan after going to the US is to study business data analysis. But before going abroad to study, Ha An wants to spend more time with her family, and at the same time, she is determined to do well in the upcoming high school graduation exam.

Ha An is an excellent student in many fields, has achieved IELTS 8.0, has been an excellent student of the province for many years, participated in the national excellent student team in English for the 2022-2023 school year... She is also an active member in school and class activities. Ha An's desire to study abroad in the US is very clear, so the teachers often encourage and help her review the program closely. Today's results are completely worthy of her tireless efforts over the past time.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Loan

Homeroom teacher of grade 12 English 1 (Ha Tinh Specialized High School)

Ngan Giang

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/giao-duc/nu-sinh-ha-tinh-gianh-hoc-bong-16-truong-dai-hoc-my-nho-tao-duoc-su-khac-biet/248460.htm