A happy ending for a poor but studious student

(Baonghean.vn) - From a touching letter, a student from Vinh University was able to continue going to school after 2 years of dropping out to work for money to support his sick elderly parents.

Nguyen Van Quyet (born in 1995, hamlet 12, Phuc Tho commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An) was born into a family with extremely difficult circumstances. His parents were old and constantly ill, his two older sisters were both married and working far away, so their finances were difficult and they could not help.

In 2013, Quyet passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Construction at Vinh University, with a score of 18.5. Although his family was poor, Quyet still begged his parents to let him enroll. The family was a farmer, so all the little income from the fields and gardens, Quyet's parents invested in their son's education. When Quyet was in his second year of study, Ms. Le Thi Hong (Quyet's mother) fell seriously ill and needed immediate surgery to save his life. Mr. Nguyen Van Huynh - Quyet's father, was in poor health and not mentally alert.

Nguyen Van Quyet is currently Ms. Hong's only support when she is sick. Photo: Thien Thien

Quyet's studies became more difficult than ever. He had no one to rely on for his mother's medical bills, tuition fees, and other living expenses at that time. Quyet recalled: "I had to stay with my mother at the hospital all the time because my father was not able to take care of her. The family became so poor that after finishing the second year, I had to drop out of school and did not apply for a leave of absence."

In 2015, Quyet's mother passed the critical stage, Quyet went to the South to apply for a job as a construction worker, mine blaster. Quyet sent all the money he earned back to his parents, the small amount he saved to pay for accommodation and food. Later, Quyet's parents found out that Quyet worked hard and took many risks, so they immediately urged their son to return to his hometown. Despite their poverty, Mr. Huynh and Mrs. Hong could not let their son fall into danger.

Quyet returned home but still worked extra jobs every day to continue supporting his parents. Sometimes he worked as a tutor, sometimes as a construction worker. Whatever job he could do to earn money, Quyet was not afraid of hardships or difficulties but worked hard to do his best. On days when he had no work, he stayed home to help his parents plow the fields and cut grass to feed the cows...

In addition to his part-time job, Quyet takes care of all the housework, from plowing, mowing the grass... Photo: Thien Thien

Having been out of school for nearly 2 years, Quyet has never stopped missing his school and classes. His determination to return to school prompted the poor student to write a letter to the principal of Vinh University with the hope of returning to school. “I wrote a personal letter to the principal along with an application to continue studying not long ago. I also hope that a miracle will happen, even though I know that my previous absence without reservation was against the regulations,” Quyet shared.

In a letter to the Principal of Vinh University, Quyet wrote: “In 2015, my family experienced many changes: My eldest sister got married to a man with a difficult family situation, she was the main breadwinner in the family and raised two children to study; My second sister was not so lucky to marry a husband who drank and gambled, falling into debt. With such a difficult family, my mother's health also became worse, carrying many diseases in her body. My mother could only do housework to earn money to take care of the family meals. With the lack and difficulty, I thought and decided to quit school to go to work to earn money to help my mother without thinking that I would return to study to continue my unfinished dream. For two years, I struggled in society doing all kinds of jobs such as construction worker, making plastic and steel cores, or working as a miner at a construction site, but I never lost my desire to study and hold a degree to show off to my mother and father, holding a degree to apply for a job with a more stable income. After 2 years of saving up, along with my mother and father's health more stable, I really want to receive sympathy, amnesty from the school, the board of directors can give me another chance to return to continue my studies."

Quyet's letter to the Principal of Vinh University. Photo: Thien Thien

From the sincere and touching words, along with the earnest wish to return to school, recently, student Nguyen Van Quyet was extremely surprised when he received the decision of the Board of Directors of Vinh University. That is Decision No. 772/QD – DHV of the Board of Directors of Vinh University on allowing student Nguyen Van Quyet to return to continue studying Construction Engineering, Faculty of Construction at Vinh University, effective from the date of signing (ie April 28, 2017). This decision was signed by Associate Professor, Dr. Ngo Dinh Phuong - Vice Principal of the school.

Vinh University's decision to allow Quyet to return to school. Photo: Thien Thien

Sharing with Nghe An Newspaper, Quyet could not help but be moved: “I really did not think the school would allow me to return to school because I knew I had broken the rules. I even thought about continuing to work as a construction worker to earn money to retake the exam next year. Therefore, I am really happy and want to thank the Board of Directors and teachers of Vinh University very much…”

Thien Thien