SVVN - Despite facing an unfortunate accident at the age of 8 that resulted in the loss of one leg, H'Thao persevered, walking to school alone throughout her secondary and high school years. She wished to rewrite her fate and show gratitude to her parents by pursuing higher education.
Rising above difficulty
H'Thao, a member of the M'nong ethnic minority, is a Human Resource Management major at Van Hien University in Ho Chi Minh City. The second of seven siblings, she resides in Dak Nong, where her family engages in farming and coffee cultivation. Recognizing the financial struggles her family faced, H'Thao remained determined to excel academically to provide a better life for her parents and herself. Due to the challenging family circumstances, Thao's older brother had to drop out of school after completing fourth grade to assist their parents. In order to provide opportunities for Thao and her younger siblings to continue their education, their parents persisted in creating conditions for them to attend school. Therefore, Thao values this opportunity immensely and consistently strives in her studies to not disappoint her parents.
H'Thao (in the middle) is a student majoring in Human Resource Management at Van Hien University (Ho Chi Minh City). (Photo: NVCC)
Encountering a traffic accident in third grade that resulted in the loss of one leg, the 8-year-old girl relentlessly pursued her education, completing the school curriculum, passing the high school graduation exam, and entering university.
Due to the distance between her home and school, H'Thao had to walk alone from fourth to twelfth grade. Despite the physical challenges, she never considered giving up, choosing to persevere against all odds. Reflecting on the accident, she mentioned, "At the time of the accident, I didn't fully understand, so it felt normal. After two months in the hospital and one month of rehabilitation, feeling bored at home, I asked my parents to let me return to school. Because I wanted to go to school, I thought enduring hardships was normal."
There were moments when fatigue set in, but H'Thao, driven by her determination, continued walking to school for nine years after the accident. Conversations with her mother during those tough times served as a source of inspiration and motivation.
"At times, feeling tired, I complained to my mother. She said, 'Are you stressed simply by going to school?’ That statement shocked me the whole night, but after thinking, I felt fortunate to be able to go to school. My parents worked harder than me, so I thought I had to study hard to ease their burden," shared H'Thao.
Not letting difficulties pull her down, H'Thao persevered in walking to school for nine years after the accident. (Photo: NVCC)
In her twelfth grade, academic pressure reached a point where she didn't speak to her parents for a month. Only after completing the graduation exam did she feel comfortable sharing her struggles with them.
"I always encouraged Thao to study hard; her father and I would try to support her. Thao tried very hard. In twelfth grade, during exam preparation, she couldn't sleep, waking up at 5 a.m. to study. Every day, she studied without taking breaks," shared Thao's mother about her daughter.
Aware of her family's modest financial situation and the challenges her older brother faced in completing only the fourth grade due to assisting their parents, H'Thao remained unwavering in her determination to enter university. Despite the hardships, she continued striving to attend university to create opportunities for herself and repay her parents' kindness.
"Until now, the motivation for me to step into the university is my family. My parents created every condition for me to go to school. I want to study to liberate my family from poverty and show gratitude to my parents," shared H'Thao.
H'Thao consistently makes efforts in her studies to step into the university hall and change her fate. (Photo: NVCC)
With guidance from neighbors and direction from her parents, after a period of exploration, H'Thao decided to pursue the Human Resource Management major at Van Hien University (Ho Chi Minh City). The university environment provided numerous opportunities for the Dak Nong student, including the chance to connect with many friends. After entering university, Thao underwent a complete transformation. Evolving from an introverted girl, she became bold, confident, and garnered the affection and admiration of many friends.
Opening heart to embrace everything
"People often say that you'll have fewer friends in university, but I have more friends now," Thao shared.
H'Thao (on the far left) received a scholarship awarded by Van Hien University during the 'Red Sunday' blood donation event, recognizing her high academic achievements and determined efforts in personal development. (Photo: NVCC)
Initially hesitant to initiate conversations with her classmate, H'Thao's confidence grew as her introductory course instructor took the initiative to make her feel comfortable. This support helped her integrate and overcome her self-consciousness about her physical disability.
Speaking about Thao, Ms. Huynh Anh Nga, the introductory course instructor, highly praised: 'Thao is passionate, wholehearted, and extremely diligent in her studies. She puts in maximum effort into everything she does.'.
For her friends, H'Thao is a resilient, honest, hardworking, and patient young woman.
"Perhaps the most memorable moment was the first day I met Thao in our major course. Both of us were freshmen, unfamiliar with anyone in the class. Suddenly that day, the lecturer asked questions to interact with the students. All of us were quite shy, but Thao was different—she spoke confidently. At that moment, I thought, why can she be so determined? She does everything well on her own, even commuting between campuses to study. She doesn't feel insecure about her shortcomings; instead, I see her using that as motivation to progress every day," recalled Nguyen Thi Thuy Van, H'Thao's classmate.
"For Thao, the most challenging aspect is transportation. I only share one course with her. This course is far from where she lives, but I have never seen her skip a class," added Nguyen Thi Hong Duyen, another friend of H'Thao.
Source: https://svvn.tienphong.vn/