"Tiny" female student graduated with honors, shares tearful family background

(Dan Tri) - With a height of only 1.08m - only equal to that of a kindergarten student - Nguyen Thi Phuong still graduated from university with honors, with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.39/4.0.

Second prize in provincial geography, "changed direction" to graduate with honors in IT

On the morning of August 27, the scenario for the graduation ceremony and awarding of diplomas for the second batch of 2025 for full-time university students of Thuyloi University changed compared to usual.

Instead of handing out diplomas to students one by one, the school started by honoring female student Nguyen Thi Phuong, class K63, IT3. The school principal personally led her onto the stage to present her diploma.

Phuong is the most special student among 1,541 full-time graduates this year because she is an orphan.

Unlike her peers, her health is very poor, her height is only 1.08m - the same as a kindergarten student. Despite this, the female student has excelled in her studies with a GPA of 3.39, excellent.

Professor Ngo Trung Viet, Principal of the school, presented a graduation gift to "tiny" bachelor Nguyen Thi Phuong (Photo: H. Giang).

Nguyen Thi Phuong was born on October 3, 2002 in Kim Son, Ninh Binh . She was exempted from 100% of tuition fees when studying at university and is a special case to date when she was awarded the Le Van Kiem scholarship twice by the school (this scholarship has a very high value and is only awarded once per student during the 4 years of study).

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Phuong said that at the beginning of 10th grade, because she had not yet determined her own direction, she focused on block C and won second prize at the provincial level in geography at the beginning of 12th grade.

But during this time, Phuong suddenly “changed direction” to the Information Technology (IT) industry. On one hand, the female student maintained her achievements in block C subjects at 9 and 10, on the other hand, she searched for documents online, asked her classmates who were at the top of the class about block A, and asked her teachers to change her block.

Phuong is considered by her friends to be the "comedian" of the class (Photo: NVCC).

In 2021, the small female student was admitted to the Faculty of Information Technology (IT), Thuyloi University with a very high score.

“The first days at school were a difficult time for me: new friends, a new environment, and strange looks from the classmates around me. Maybe because I was used to this since I was little, I told myself to ignore it and live,” Phuong recalls.

According to the female student, achieving excellent results is difficult for normal students, with poor health, walking 500m is "out of breath", she had to try 100% beyond her ability.

For theoretical subjects, Phuong diligently listens to the lectures from the teachers in class, then writes down the main ideas. She memorizes the knowledge of each day she studies. Near the exam, she will go back and review all the knowledge at once to synthesize it into an outline.

With practical subjects, I force myself to practice continuously every day. Thanks to this way of studying, Phuong both ensures her health and remembers her lessons well.

Fly from dreams

At the graduation ceremony this morning, while her peers were congratulated by many friends and relatives, Phuong held hands with her teachers and Linh - her close classmate. Even the graduation gown she wore this morning was carefully tailored by a teacher at the school to fit her body as a gift for her.

Coming from a farming family, Phuong's father died of a serious illness when she was still a baby. One day in late May of 10th grade, after the semester exam, the little student did not see her mother come to pick her up like every day. She was shocked because her mother had just been taken to the hospital due to a stroke. The burden was piled on Phuong's shoulders - the only daughter in the family. Her mother was paralyzed on one side, and she had to take care of all her personal activities by herself.

The day she received her university acceptance letter, her family and relatives advised her to stay home. She thought about it for several weeks, and finally ran away to enroll in school, later than her classmates.

After a few months of studying, she collapsed when she received the news that her mother had passed away due to a second stroke. All doors seemed to close before the eyes of the new student. With the encouragement of her aunt and uncle, friends and teachers, Phuong decided to return to school.

Phuong's formal dress was given to her by her school teacher (Photo: M. Ha).

Phuong said that because both of her parents passed away, as soon as she entered school, some philanthropists supported her, and with two scholarships, she spent frugally for four years of university.

"I live in the school dormitory. My aunt and uncle bought me a computer. To save money, I don't have the habit of eating breakfast. For lunch and dinner, I only eat when I'm really hungry. From food, books, clothes to all expenses, I have to budget around 2 million per month," Phuong confided.

Sharing about her future dream, the female student said, at first she dreamed of becoming a doctor. Later, when she realized her growth hormone deficiency, she hoped to soon become an IT engineer.

Commenting on the special student Nguyen Thi Phuong, Dr. Nguyen Van Tham, homeroom teacher of class K63, IT 3, said that despite her poor health and family difficulties, Phuong tried very hard in her studies. She not only achieved high results and graduated with honors, but also made an effort to participate in many class activities.

"Many subjects are difficult to achieve high results or require a lot of time to process complex skills, but many students admire Phuong's efforts. She also found an internship place herself and was assigned by the school to be the leader of the year-end internship group with about 10 students, but she managed and achieved good results," said Dr. Tham.

Get special permission to stay at school to work

At the graduation ceremony, Professor Ngo Trung Viet, Principal of the school met, encouraged and presented gifts to the new graduate Nguyen Thi Phuong. According to Professor Viet, Phuong is a shining example of perseverance in studying. With her achievements, the school's Board of Directors decided to specially accept Phuong to work at the school and she was very happy to accept.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/nu-sinh-ti-hon-tot-nghiep-loai-gioi-chia-se-gia-canh-dam-nuoc-mat-20250827131641490.htm