Mistakes help me become a better person.

Fluent in five languages, and the top scorer in the 2022 10th grade entrance exam in Ho Chi Minh City, Duong Kien Khai (11th grade specializing in computer science at the High School for the Gifted, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) also has some little-known 'secrets'.

Duong Kien Khai shares about his studies and life - Photo: CONG NHAT

I realized that I need to strive to be a happy person, not to try to be perfect.

DUONG KIEN KHAI

Besides Vietnamese, this Gen Z student is proficient in five languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and German. Last night, January 25th, Khai received the second prize in the National Computer Science Competition for gifted students. In an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper , Khai shared: "Being able to use these languages ​​isn't necessarily due to exceptional intelligence or innate talent. Based on my experience, I believe that with the right environment and serious practice, with clear goals, we can conquer languages ​​over time. For example, when I was young, because my mother tongue was Cantonese, I didn't speak Vietnamese very well. My parents had to ask friends for a lot of help to improve my Vietnamese when I was in school. Lately, besides English and Vietnamese, I've had fewer opportunities to use other languages, so I'm not as confident in them anymore."

I used to be very strict with myself.

* Looking at your impressive academic record, many people think your study schedule must be incredibly packed? - I'm just like everyone else around me, usually sleeping from 11 PM to 7 AM the next morning. Besides school, I spend about two hours studying at home each night. On days when I feel tired, I'll only study for a little over an hour and then stop. When I'm focused on training for the school team, I study for about three hours each morning and afternoon, trying to concentrate as much as possible. During my breaks, I usually sleep or chat with close friends. This is when I relieve stress and recharge my energy effectively. During the preparation period for the 10th grade entrance exam, I was quite strict with myself. At that time, I almost didn't interact with social media accounts for several months and minimized playing games. But now I'm not so strict with myself anymore. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed about something, I choose to take a walk, and my mind gradually becomes clearer and more focused. (laughs)

* Do you have any experiences that could be called failures? - To be honest, I haven't experienced any major failures. If anything, it's probably just a couple of stumbles when the results weren't as expected. However, I believe failure isn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it can be a motivation to push and develop myself. Previously, I would be very upset by any failure and almost unable to accept it. But over time, I've realized what's more important and meaningful to me, and whether I can recognize, accept, and rise from failure. Looking at it this way, if we were always successful and only ever successful, wouldn't we always be in a state of comfort, leading to less motivation to strive or try harder?

Become a happy person

* What "stumble" are you referring to? - An unexpected experience I had was during the school's 30-4 Olympic team selection exam. I was confident that I had almost secured a spot because I was the top student in the entire school when I entered 10th grade. However, when the results came out, I was quite surprised to find myself far from the top 3. Needless to say, I was both very disappointed and doubtful of myself. But I calmed down, tried to think things through, honestly faced the situation, and gradually accepted the truth that I still had many areas to improve. I turned that failure into motivation, forcing myself to become more diligent. And after that, I was selected for the school's national excellent student competition team, which is usually only for 12th-grade students, and won an honorable mention in the national computer science competition that year. * What lessons do you learn from each failure or problem you encounter in life? - I used to try to be a perfect person. But actually, this is something I wanted myself, and I put pressure on myself; nobody told me to or needed me to strain myself like that. My family, teachers, and friends all see me as a child, a student, or just a normal friend, not a valedictorian. Realizing this has helped me become more confident and relaxed, allowing me to live true to my age and acknowledge my mistakes. In the long run, I always aim to become a happy person, constantly striving for improvement but also knowing how to enjoy the joys of the things around me, big or small. I know I am very fortunate to have a loving family and an educational environment that many people dream of. I am content with this and will continue to strive every day.

Talented at 16

In the 2022 10th grade entrance exam, Duong Kien Khai applied to the specialized computer science class at the High School for the Gifted (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) and achieved a total score of 46.65 (specialized subject score doubled), becoming one of the top-scoring students admitted to the 10th grade at this school since its establishment. Simultaneously, he was also the top-scoring student in the specialized program in Ho Chi Minh City with a perfect score of 10 in all three subjects: mathematics, foreign language, and computer science. Khai also won second prize in English at the city level and several awards in chess and Chinese chess. Remarkably, during his four years of junior high school, Khai only achieved an average score of 9.9 in the first semester of 6th grade; all other semesters were perfect scores of 10/10.

Tuoitre.vn

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