Vietnamese prodigy graduated from university at the age of 14, studying 2 master's programs at the same time

At the age of 14, Alisa Pham graduated from university, studied for a master's degree, and was honored by the World Prodigy Organization and the British Parliament.

“ In December 2024, I graduated from Auckland University of Technology (AUT, New Zealand). Currently, I am studying for a master's degree at AUT and a master's degree at Harvard University (USA),” Alisa Pham (Pham Vi An, 14 years old) - the youngest bachelor in New Zealand and Vietnam - opened the conversation.

Alisa was born in Hanoi and moved to New Zealand at the age of 7. Three years ago, at the age of 11, she became the youngest student at AUT. She is also a member of Mensa New Zealand (a community of people with IQs in the top 2% of the world's population).

Notably, in June 2025, at the British Parliament (London), Alisa was recognized by the Global Child Prodigy Award as one of the 100 global prodigies in the field of education . This is the second time she has received this title.

Alisa was honored as one of the 100 global prodigies in the field of education.

Child prodigies also face challenges in college.

Three years have passed, the “child prodigy” with short hair hugging her chubby face has grown up, but still retains the innocence and mischievousness appropriate to her age. Alisa smiles brightly when sharing her story, her eyes sparkling with the joy and confidence of someone who has found her own path.

Alisa is studying a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Branding and Advertising at AUT. She has been a fast learner. While other students only take 4 subjects, Alisa usually takes 6-7 subjects each term and takes extra classes during the summer without feeling overwhelmed.

Sharing her secret, the girl affirmed that her study time is not too long compared to other friends, but when she sits down at the table, she will be completely focused. “I like drawing, which usually takes 2-3 hours a day. Therefore, I often focus on finishing my studies early, so I have more time for my hobbies,” Alisa said.

In addition to focusing, Alisa often comes to school 1 hour before class starts and stays in the library to study by herself from 3pm to 7pm. Thanks to that, when she comes home, she will only entertain and rest. Besides, the Vietnamese prodigy also always prepares lessons at home, especially for 8-hour classes. She understands that no matter how high her ability to absorb information is, during a long school day, her speed will decrease.

Therefore, Alisa cannot be subjective and wait until class to start reviewing the lesson. Preparing in advance helps Alisa understand the lesson faster, easily answer the lecturer's questions and ask critical questions.

“Many people assume I am a prodigy, so I understand everything I hear. But in reality, everyone has difficulty with new knowledge. For me, a prodigy is not someone who learns faster than others, but someone who is more persistent and steadfast in their goals,” she said.

However, despite her outstanding abilities, Alisa still encountered some difficulties during her university years. Each of Alisa's classes had up to 60-70 students, her classmates were 20-30 years old, even 30-45 years old with different learning goals.

When randomly assigned to study groups by their teachers, some of Alisa's classmates often only thought about passing the course (getting a C), while she always set the highest goal (an A) to exploit her learning ability.

Because of this, Alisa sometimes encountered situations where her classmates were unfocused, uncommitted to their assignments, and unresponsive to messages or emails. One time, just before the assignment was due, a 41-year-old classmate even announced that she was in the hospital preparing to give birth.

Alisa and her sister Vicky Ngo (Ngo Ngoc Chau) during a meeting with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour. Vicky is also a member of Mensa and graduated from university at the age of 14.

At first, Alisa was confused, bewildered, and even cried because she did not know how to handle this lack of cooperation. In the first semester, Alisa only knew how to do her friends' work to ensure the overall efficiency. However, from the second semester, she learned how to manage a group and coordinate work. Alisa set deadlines, proactively organized group meetings, and motivated everyone to complete tasks.

However, setting deadlines with classmates who are 25-30 years older than her is not easy. She encountered a psychological barrier in this and had to learn to adjust herself to adapt to the situation.

“I also learned how to protect myself and improve my work efficiency by recording meeting minutes and sending them to the whole group and teachers to avoid future conflicts ,” she shared.

In nearly 2 years, Alisa completed 22/24 subjects, expected to graduate early according to the original plan. However, in the last 2 subjects, the lecturer had a schedule conflict, so she had to wait another year to complete her study program.

Studying two master's degrees in parallel

At the end of 2024, after graduating from university with honors, Alisa was torn between studying for a master's degree in New Zealand, going straight to the US to pursue a PhD, or working for a multinational company.

However, after finding her undergraduate program just right and gaining practical experience working as a research assistant for a lecturer, she realized the importance of scientific research in solving macro-social problems.

“I did a study on student apathy towards protest activities at New Zealand universities. This process gave me a deeper insight into social reality. I understood that I could go to work at any time and anywhere, but only when I was young could I solve big social problems through scientific research,” Alisa shared .

In early 2025, she decided to study a master's degree in Artificial Intelligence and Cyber ​​Security at AUT. “I was attracted because many people said AI and Cyber ​​Security were difficult and highly applicable. Along with that, I was encouraged by a professor in the field, so I gave it a try and see how far I could go,” Alisa explained.

The course requires a bachelor's degree in computer science or mathematics. To meet this requirement, Alisa self-taught an entire university program in information technology through free online courses over the summer.

She submitted her master's thesis and went through a professional interview with the evaluation board. After 2 months, she was accepted into the school, waiving the requirement of a bachelor's degree. At the same time, Alisa also pursued a second master's degree at Harvard University (distance learning). She chose to study Psychology to gain a deeper understanding of psychology, human behavior, and how the brain works.

Alisa’s ultimate goal is to bridge these two fields. She wants to understand the aspects that humans can do and AI cannot/has not done. From there, Alisa finds ways to control and guide AI, ensuring that technology serves humans effectively and responsibly, rather than being controlled by them.

She aims to complete her master's degree in New Zealand later this year and her master's at Harvard in a year, then continue on to study for a PhD at the age of 15.

In addition to studying and researching, Alisa also spends time participating in social activities.

Study not for the title of prodigy

Alisa said she is not pressured by the title of prodigy. Her goal in studying is to discover her own abilities, not to set records or pursue titles.

“I don’t care about being honored as a prodigy, but I want to be known as someone who contributes to the general development of society, especially Vietnam,” Alisa realized that learning faster helps her save time, about 7-10 years compared to her peers. This will help her contribute to society sooner and have more time to do useful work.

After graduating from university, Alisa said she has entered the second phase of her life: scientific research and entrepreneurship. Currently, she is developing a business idea, focusing on environmental protection and sustainable development.

Accordingly, Alisa wants to apply AI technology, cybersecurity and blockchain algorithms in the field of environmental protection by establishing an open platform, allowing users to plant trees and earn income from this (through the sale of carbon certificates).

“Even children aged 5-7 can start growing plants and earn passive income. I have presented this idea to some investors and received positive feedback,” she said.

Having studied for two master’s degrees and having a start-up project at the age of 14, Alisa still retains the innocence of a child. She still likes to sleep in, draw, play sports, hug her stuffed dog while studying and chat with friends her age.

“I still get lost because the school is so big or I have to ask my sister to show me the bus route because I keep making mistakes,” she giggled, shyly talking about her weaknesses.

In addition, Alisa often spends weekends with her family and close friends participating in social activities in New Zealand and community projects in Vietnam. Since the age of 9, she and her sister have been active in the Wisdom House and Charity Bookcase projects, donating a large number of books to children in their homeland.

In the near future, Alisa plans to visit Vietnam. She hopes to talk to middle and high school students here to guide them on learning methods, inspire them and help them find scholarships to study abroad. “In addition, I really want to audit History, Geography and Literature courses at schools in Vietnam to make up for my knowledge of national culture,” she shared.

(Source: Zing News)

Link:https://lifestyle.znews.vn/than-dong-viet-co-bang-dai-hoc-o-tuoi-14-hoc-cung-luc-2-bang-thac-si-post1567763.html

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/than-dong-viet-tot-nghiep-dai-hoc-o-tuoi-14-hoc-cung-luc-2-chuong-trinh-thac-si-ar954406.html