Grade 12 student wins full UWC scholarship: Don't let yourself say "if only..." later.

Le Quoc Tuan, a 12A1 student at Nghi Loc II High School. Photo: NVCC

The last days of May became more special for Le Quoc Tuan, a 12A1 student at Nghi Loc II High School, when he received a full scholarship to Dilihan University (Armenia, West Asia).

Quoc Tuan shared that when he received the email notification, he was very happy. At first, he learned about the UWC scholarship by chance while surfing the internet and participated with the mindset of testing himself and not putting too much emphasis on winning the scholarship at all costs.

Submitting his scholarship application in August 2017, going through two rounds of application and online screening, by mid-December 2017, Tuan was one of 37 candidates from all over the country to advance to the direct interview round in Ho Chi Minh City. From December 16 to 20, Tuan participated in the rounds with his friends. The candidates were interviewed in groups and individually with questions about their growth process, passions, etc. with the organizers.

“In the final round, there were a total of 5 contestants from Nghe An, many of whom came from specialized schools, but I didn’t feel stressed even though I came from a district school. On the contrary, I believe that when we get to the final interview round, everyone’s abilities are the same, we just need to believe and try our best,” Tuan said with a smile.

It was not until the end of May that the 12A1 student of Nghi Loc II High School burst into tears of happiness when he received the notice that he had won a full scholarship from UWC. Tuan confided that when he first received the notice, he was both happy and worried. He was happy because he had overcome himself to get closer to his dream, but he was also a bit worried about how to convince his parents.

“My parents are ordinary civil servants. Apart from an older sister, I am the youngest son in the family, so I have always been protected by my parents. In addition, I had to research and ask my seniors about finding a scholarship. So at first, my parents did not fully support me and I had to convince and explain to get their consent,” Tuan said.

Le Quoc Tuan (2nd from right) attends a summer camp in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo. NVCC

Loving the superficial activities, Tuan is also the first student of the school to initiate an English Club for students. The club meets 1-2 times/month. When establishing the club, Tuan himself wanted to create an environment for students to practice their English communication skills. At first, students may not pronounce correctly or even make mistakes, but once they join the club, he wants members to speak up. Because only by speaking up can they know where they are wrong to correct them and, more importantly, help them break out of their shy shell in communication.

Having participated in self-orientation seminars for students and summer study camps in Ho Chi Minh City, Tuan shared that thanks to that, he realized many valuable lessons in life. “Dreams are not always possible, but first you have to dare to dream. Just dream and try to make it come true. The journey to your dream may fail, but don’t give up and try one way or another so that you don’t have to say “if only!” later on, Tuan confided.

Commenting on Tuan, the homeroom teacher of class 12A1, Pham Thi Chinh, said that Tuan is an excellent student, hard-working, diligent, and active. In particular, he is very active, has outstanding talents, and often organizes and leads activities for the English Club at school. Tuan is also good at all subjects and has continuously achieved the title of excellent student of the class. And the achievements that Tuan has achieved will be a great motivation for the students in the lower grades to learn and follow.

UWC Scholarships are full and partial scholarships for high school students aged 16 - 19 to study at one of 16 UWC schools around the world.

UWC students are selected locally through a unique national committee system present in more than 155 countries around the world.

Selection is based on student potential.

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