Born in 2004, Nguyen Thi Hong Minh started learning English in grade 3 following her family's guidance. In grade 12, she studied English at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Nam Dinh province (old).
Although his family wanted him to study foreign languages from an early age, during his elementary school years, Hong Minh loved Math more and even thought about pursuing a natural science major.
After a while, Hong Minh realized that his foreign language talent was more prominent.
“I realized that I had a clearer interest and ability in English. From then on, I decided to invest all my time in this subject,” the female student shared.
At Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted - a famous school that trains many excellent national students, Hong Minh participated in many English speaking competitions, gradually training his confidence on stage, his ability to express himself and his language reflexes.
Those efforts brought Hong Minh a series of provincial and national awards, becoming important provisions before he entered the challenging university environment.
Conquer IELTS 8.5, Speak Perfectly During Covid Season
Right before the high school graduation exam, Hong Minh successfully conquered IELTS 8.5 on the first try, with a perfect Speaking score of 9.0.
Notably, my exam fell right during the Covid-19 outbreak, when most of my studying and reviewing had to be done online.
“At that time, I had to study by myself. It was quite difficult at first because there was no one to correct me directly, but I persevered in practicing listening and speaking every day through podcasts, international news, and joined online study groups to stay motivated,” Hong Minh said.
Hong Minh said: “The most important thing is to speak clearly and coherently so that the judges can understand and feel confident. It is not necessary to speak with a native accent.”
The IELTS result of 8.5, especially the Speaking score of 9.0, made Hong Minh a typical face in the student community. When the score sheet was announced, she received many congratulations from friends, teachers and students who had been taught by her.
Entering the Foreign Trade University, Hong Minh chose the advanced program of Foreign Economics , where all subjects are taught in English.
The novelty of the international academic environment and the intense study intensity made the female student overwhelmed in the first days.
Teaching from the first year and spreading the secret of learning English through TikTok
Right in the first semester, the amount of specialized terminology was large, and the foreign professor's teaching was fast and dense, causing me to sometimes only understand half of the content.
"There was a time when I had to look up almost all the lecture slides when I got home," Hong Minh recalls.
But it was the initial hardship that trained him to listen, take notes, and debate. Along with reading more documents and practicing presentations in English, Hong Minh gradually caught up with the learning pace and was among the group of excellent students with high GPA.
Unlike many of his classmates, Hong Minh chose to work part-time right after entering school. He accepted an offer to tutor English for high school students.
The number of students is increasing, most of them are students who need to take quick exams or want to improve their communication skills.
“Teaching helps me be more patient, know how to communicate in an easy-to-understand way and put myself in the students’ shoes. There are days when I finish teaching at 11:30 p.m., I am very tired but feel I have grown significantly,” Hong Minh said.
During his time at university, Hong Minh also guided hundreds of students, many of whom achieved IELTS 7.0-8.0.
At the same time, Hong Minh also built a TikTok channel to share tips on learning foreign languages, attracting tens of thousands of followers.
Hong Minh said: "I created the channel mainly to share experiences and support young people to learn English more effectively, not with the goal of becoming famous or earning income from social networks."
Balancing studying, teaching and creating content is also a challenge. Hong Minh often takes advantage of the weekend to prepare videos .
There was a time when Hong Minh took two evening shifts, ending at nearly midnight, leaving no time to review for himself.
“I once got a low score in a subject because I didn’t have time to prepare for the exam. After that, I had to rearrange my schedule, only taking suitable classes and prioritizing my main studies,” Hong Minh confided.
This lesson helps female students of Foreign Trade University practice time management skills and know how to balance between studying and teaching.
Hong Minh shared: "Teaching and learning are not separate but complement each other. Teaching helps me consolidate knowledge, while learning creates a foundation for me to communicate better."
“Score points” with a variety of extracurricular activities
Not only stopping at studying and teaching, Hong Minh also actively seeks new experiences through extracurricular activities.
The female student of Foreign Trade University tries her hand at leadership roles in student clubs, directly participating in managing large and small events. The times standing behind the stage and coordinating work show that Minh not only has language ability but also honed organizational and teamwork skills.
In particular, Hong Minh had an internship at the US Embassy, where his main job included library management and event organization support.
From arranging scientific documents to communicating and welcoming international guests, every job at the US Embassy requires meticulousness, professionalism and absolute precision.
“I learned professionalism from every little detail: how to arrange documents, how to communicate with guests, everything must be precise and effective. Those experiences became valuable assets, helping me to be more confident when working in an international environment,” Hong Minh said.
At the same time, the dynamic female student also participates in the Student Ambassador program of Shopee Vietnam.
While at the US Embassy, Minh practiced a standard and professional demeanor, in her role as a student ambassador for Shopee Vietnam, the female student is responsible for recruiting communications and promoting the brand to young people.
“The dynamic, fast-paced environment and pressure from deadlines force Minh to always be flexible and creative.
I learned how to implement a project from scratch, how to coordinate with a team to complete the work, and at the same time, I improved my communication skills with businesses," Hong Minh shared.
Looking back on the journey he has been through, Hong Minh believes that each environment has given him a new skill, from event management, report writing to working with foreigners.
It is the proactive participation in many extracurricular activities that has helped female students of Foreign Trade University build a comprehensive foundation, harmonizing knowledge in the classroom and practical experience.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/nu-sinh-ngoai-thuong-dat-ielts-85-speaking-tuyet-doi-ngay-lan-dau-tien-post1799040.tpo
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