Vietnamese female student conquers 5 foreign languages ​​and top 1 school in Canada

From thousands of nominations from outstanding students around the world, the University of Toronto - ranked No. 1 in Canada - selected 37 names to award the "Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship" full scholarship.

Anh Thu at the graduation ceremony at London International Academy (Canada) - Photo: NVCC

In 2024, HUYNH NGOC ANH THU - a Vietnamese female student - received this honor.

Conquer 5 foreign languages

* Received applications from all over the world but only 37 people were accepted, the scholarship acceptance rate was only 1.68%. This scholarship is probably too competitive... - That's right. Before entering the University of Toronto's review round, candidates need to pass the high school nomination round. One criterion of the scholarship is that candidates must be nominated by their high school, and each school can only nominate one student. But in the end, luck smiled on me. Now, I am preparing to start studying commerce at the University of Toronto. I discovered this passion when I first came to Canada in grade 8 in 2020. Seeing many friends wanting to buy Korean music CDs, clothes, and cosmetics, I tried to contact a few suppliers in Korea, then connected with shipping companies to distribute the goods to Canada. The key is to find a good source of goods and shipping units with competitive costs. From some initial friends, my startup project received more orders from other locations in Canada and then in the US. I continued to learn more about ways to ship goods to Europe, Asia and Australia. Everything was new to me and I had to learn it myself. But if I encountered any difficulties, I often sought advice from more experienced people. * How did Anh Thu learn to be fluent in 5 foreign languages? - Languages ​​came to me quite naturally. When I wanted to learn more about the culture of a country, I would learn the language of that country. For example, since grade 6, I noticed the strong coverage of Korean cultural products in Vietnam, from music , movies to cuisine. This made me curious and wanted to understand more about how Korea expanded their culture abroad. I was taught Vietnamese and English from a young age. I started learning French in the three summer months before preparing to go to Canada, because it is also an official language of this country besides English. I officially learned French at a public school in Canada with local students. In the IB program, I will have to learn another language besides English and Vietnamese, so I chose Spanish, partly because Spanish is quite popular in the Americas. Luckily, my Spanish teacher has many friends and they spent time connecting, talking, and helping me to master it soon. And now I am preparing to take the HSK6 exam in Chinese. At first, when I learned Chinese, I felt that I would not be able to master it because I was not familiar with the radicals. In the end, instead of focusing on books, I looked for Chinese friends and texted them in Chinese. This way of learning not only helps me remember vocabulary easily, but also helps me discover the difference between the language in books and in real life.

Manage your time

* For Thu, do the languages ​​you learn complement each other or hinder each other? - This is a question I get asked many times. Actually, sometimes I make mistakes, especially with less used vocabulary. For example, sometimes I confuse Chinese with Korean. Sometimes in class, when the teacher asks a question in Spanish, I unconsciously answer in French. But maybe that's just a few times, but in general, I find that the languages ​​complement each other very well. Many grammar points and vocabulary in Korean and Chinese are quite similar, so you can reduce your study time if you already know one of the two. The same goes for French and Spanish. * Studying in class, self-studying foreign languages, participating in extracurricular activities... What is Thu's secret to time management? - I estimate my time fund, and from there choose to implement it at each time most appropriately. I always put studying in class as my top priority and consider it my biggest responsibility, especially when I choose to try studying subjects that are not my strengths such as physics and chemistry. Regarding languages, I create my own environment to get used to the language. As for extracurricular activities, it only takes me about 1-2 hours a day. However, when you pay attention and spend time on something, you will complete it very quickly. I also need very clear plans and long-term orientation. For example, I use the summers to learn more foreign languages ​​or do personal projects. The remaining community projects will be prioritized to be completed before the last 2 years of school so that I can focus on the IB program. When there is a clear roadmap, everything will be arranged more easily. * Throughout such a long journey of studying and training, according to Thu, what is the most important milestone for you? - I think the most important milestone was probably the time I was in... kindergarten, when my mother sent me to learn art subjects such as music, singing, and dancing. Actually, at that time, I was too young to understand the benefits of these subjects, and those subjects were not mentioned much in my current achievements or jobs. But later, these skills became the foundation for me to be able to participate in any community without worrying about barriers, helping me connect and communicate better wherever I go, in any environment.

* Mr. Huynh Man (Anh Thu's father):

Feel free to explore what suits you

We do not orient our child but always try to help him access and experience the best learning environment. My point of view and that of his mother is to study at the right age, in the right program and study well at his age, there is no need to study ahead of time. Youth is for children to freely explore what suits their personal interests. * Ms. Melissa Brown (head of English and Humanities at London International Academy, the school Anh Thu attends):

Responsible and open-minded

Anh Thu demonstrates her interest and learning spirit through her critical thinking and public speaking skills. Her extracurricular experiences help her become a responsible and open-minded person. When looking for a "peer leader" to support students who have difficulties with social communication, learning or homesickness, she was highly recommended by all the teachers, including me.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nu-sinh-viet-nam-chinh-phuc-5-ngoai-ngu-va-truong-top-1-canada-20240711223329942.htm