Female student 'a writer' of Gifted High School is sought after by Tesla, Meta and OpenAI

From the literature class at the Gifted High School, Hue Quan made a dramatic turn to technology and caught the eye of Tesla, Meta, and OpenAI.

Hue Quan from a literature major to internship and work opportunities at leading technology companies - Photo: NVCC

Vu Nguyen Hue Quan is a former student of the literature class at the Gifted High School (VNU-HCM) class of 2018-2021. During his high school years, Quan participated in the national literature team twice and was the captain of the school's art team.

In 2022, Hue Quan received a full scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC, USA) and studied digital product design. Quan had the opportunity to intern at Tesla in the role of designing digital applications on a mobile platform that connects to the company's electronic products. After three months, Quan continued to have a second internship experience at Meta, focusing on user experience design.

Quan is currently a senior student at SAIC, expected to graduate in 2026. In addition to his studies, Quan has received an official job offer as a Product designer from both Meta and OpenAI - the developer of ChatGPT - after graduation.

Great passion for creativity and design

* Can you share your memorable experiences during your internship at Tesla and Meta?

- At Tesla, things move very quickly and interns are often assigned tasks that are almost equivalent to a full-time employee. My most memorable experience during my time as an intern at Tesla was the first time I saw my design being put into production and used by millions of users. Even though it was just a small feature on the Tesla app, as a 20-year-old girl, I felt extremely excited.

When I applied for an internship at Meta, I had a rather unique experience because Meta had previously postponed this program for the digital design industry. So when Meta reopened the application, I was quite surprised and applied right away. The interview process and receiving the results were very fast, only about 1-2 weeks.

I think both companies have a dynamic and fast-paced culture. However, compared to Tesla, Meta is a more organized corporation. Meta is also one of the best environments for training with a standardized and systematic system.

* Looking back, what do you think is the core factor that helps a literature student take a detour to technology? Have you ever felt that "literary roots" are an advantage when doing digital design instead of a disadvantage?

- I have always had a great passion for creativity and design. For me, designing digital products is like writing a good essay for readers: how to make the user have the best experience when using it.

I learned a lot about that thoughtfulness, dedication and understanding from the literature subject I used to study. And I think that the more careful and thorough I am with something, the more quickly I will gain knowledge about that field. I often read books and newspapers to learn and improve my knowledge about the technology industry.

Although this path may not be as popular as for many people who study natural sciences, I always think that I have gone straight and not in a detour. I believe that I have applied the qualities I learned from literature such as critical thinking, logic, empathy and aesthetic sense to pursue my current job.

Besides, studying literature also helps me to be more open to new things. I believe that in the current era of artificial intelligence, creativity and openness are extremely important factors.

* What challenges did Quan encounter in his initial journey of studying and developing himself in the US?

- When I came to the US, I thought the hardest thing was conquering a completely new market with a lot of confusion. No one here knew my high school or understood what the national exam was. International students also faced more challenges in finding jobs and internships. Therefore, I was very proactive in learning and connecting with seniors working in the field I wanted to pursue so that I could quickly accumulate experience and adapt to the new environment.

When I first arrived and didn't have many achievements or experiences, the design awards were the first milestones that helped me feel more confident, and at the same time helped me realize the skills that I could continue to practice to improve more and more.

Studying literature helps me to be more open to new things. I believe that in the current era of artificial intelligence, creativity and openness are extremely important factors.

Vu Nguyen Hue Quan

Listen to your own passion

* Quan used to participate in many activities during his high school years. It seems that an extremely busy schedule during those high school years laid the foundation for Quan's current development?

- The years of grade 11 and 12 were a very stressful time for me: I had to apply for a scholarship to study abroad, study in the literature team, and lead the art team, but what I remember most is not the pressure but the protection and spiritual support that the teachers gave us. The teachers always trusted and loved their students.

I think all those activities, from excellent student competitions, arts and high school clubs, made three years of high school wonderful and memorable.

To this day, I still look to those articles and songs as my inspiration. I believe that even though I work in the technology industry, inspiration to create is always a very important factor.

* What should Vietnamese Gen Z prepare today if they want to become "global citizens" like you? If you could send a short message to young people in Vietnam, what would you say?

- I am also on the journey to become a global citizen and constantly learning new lessons every day. If I could share, I hope that Gen Z in Vietnam can listen to their own passion and become more open and dynamic because out there in the world there are many opportunities waiting.

* Will Quan choose Meta or OpenAI to work after graduation?

- The two positions are quite similar, both related to digital product design for mainstream product lines. But honestly, I'm still thinking and haven't made a final decision yet.

Effort and hard work

* On the personal page of Mr. Tran Nam Dung, vice principal of the Gifted High School, Hue Quan is said to be "a little less studious but very smart". Do you think that's true?

- In the past, Mr. Dung loved my class very much. In grade 12, there were lessons when he sang an Italian or French song to relax the whole class. The literature class really liked performing arts, so I often asked him to sing a song with the whole class, so what he said at that time was just a joke.

When I came to America, I realized that with the fierce competition in the job market, especially among students, effort and hard work are extremely important factors. I believe that I could not have achieved what I have today without hard work and a little luck.

Initiate many cultural and social activities

Vu Nguyen Hue Quan is the founder of the non-profit organization Omis, which organizes many activities for students such as competitions, workshops, music programs as well as projects related to culture and society .

Quan also initiated the VietZ Research Lab project to research Gen Z with topics revolving around language, behavioral culture and psychology of young people.

WEIGHT

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nu-sinh-mot-cay-van-truong-pho-thong-nang-khieu-duoc-tesla-meta-va-openai-san-don-20251004091652871.htm