The story of working as factory workers to continue their dream of going to university of two Valedictorians and Salutatorians of the Continuing Education program

That is the story of two students Nguyen Thi Nhung and Phan Thi Huyen Vy - Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the Center for Continuing Education and Vocational Training in Do Luong district. Among them, Nguyen Thi Nhung is the only student in the Continuing Education program who got a perfect score of 10 in History.

Become valedictorian after 2 months of intensive study

Nguyen Thi Nhung - a student of class 12D - Vocational Education Center - Continuing Education Center of Do Luong district is the only female student in the Continuing Education system to score 10 points in History in the 2023 High School Graduation Exam. In addition, with a score of 8.75 points in Literature and 8 points in Geography, Nhung achieved a total score of 26.75 points and became the candidate with the highest score of the center.

I will apply to university, my first choice is to apply to the Academy of Journalism and Communication, my second choice is to apply to a teacher training college - over the phone Nhung happily shared her decision.

3 years ago, because her math score was too low, Nguyen Thi Nhung did not have enough points to be admitted to Do Luong 1 High School. However, with the desire to finish high school, Nhung did not hesitate when deciding to enroll according to her second choice at the Vocational Education - Continuing Education Center of Do Luong district. The two schools were only a street apart, but in the first days of studying at a center mainly for students who failed the exam and had special needs, Nhung could not avoid feeling inferior. Because of her difficult family circumstances, her parents were farmers and had 4 children, so at that time, Nhung simply thought that after finishing school, she would go to work as a factory worker or go abroad to work.

During her high school years, Nhung still believed that was her only choice. That was also the reason why, in the three years of grades 10, 11, and 12, Nhung did not devote all her attention to studying. Instead, she went to school in the morning, took cooking classes in the afternoon, and worked as a waitress at a coffee shop near her house in the evenings. The important milestone that made Nhung change her decision began in mid-May of this school year. At that time, in the third mock exam of the school, Nhung became the candidate with the highest score in the mock exam for high school graduation in grade 12. After that, encouraged by the teachers, instead of just taking the exam to get the graduation result, Nhung was determined to study for the opportunity to enter university.

That was also the time when the High School Graduation Exam entered the "acceleration" phase. Therefore, finding an extra class was really difficult. In order to keep up with the program, in addition to studying and reviewing with teachers at school, Nhung spent the remaining time studying at home or reviewing online. This female student also shared a rather special secret because during her review time, she spent most of her time watching clips online: Since she decided to start reviewing for the university entrance exam, she quit her evening job. In parallel with practicing the questions, she improved her self-study by watching review clips on TikTok or YouTube. Many people think that if she watches clips, she will get lost in social networks, but in fact, at that time, she had no time for entertainment. She devoted all her energy to the graduation exam.

Talking about Nhung, teacher Nguyen Thi Thu Huong - the History teacher was very impressed with her because she was her first student to score 10 points in the High School Graduation Exam. During her studies, Nhung was a student who was eager to learn and worked hard to improve: I taught Nhung in grade 12 and was very surprised by her ability. Therefore, when I learned that she did not pass the university entrance exam, I felt sorry and encouraged her to try hard to have a brighter future.

Indeed, for a student of the Continuing Education program, taking the same exam as high school students is very difficult. But she tried her best to become one of the 37 students with the highest history score in the province - teacher Thu Huong added.

With nearly 27 points, at this point, the door to university is opening very close to Nhung. Knowing the difficulties ahead, Nhung has made plans for herself and she believes that with a vocational degree and 3 years of part-time work experience, she will continue to try to overcome her circumstances.

Right after her high school graduation exam results, Nhung took the night bus to Bac Ninh to apply for a seasonal job at an electronics factory in Bac Ninh Industrial Park.

Because she was only expected to work for a short time, Nhung was not arranged to stay in the company but had to rent a house outside. Nhung worked 8-10 hours a day. Although the work was hard, Nhung said she was used to this intensity because since grade 10, Nhung had applied to work in industrial parks during the summer.

Nhung's situation is very difficult because her parents are farmers. Nhung is the eldest child and she has 3 younger siblings. In the past, because of her family's situation, Nhung always thought that after finishing school, she would go to work right away to earn money to help her parents. Currently, Nhung's parents are very happy because when they found out that their daughter got high scores, they both supported Nhung's admission to university.

Continue writing the dream of going to university

Accompanying Nhung on the journey to find the future is her close friend Phan Thi Huyen Vy, class 12A. In the recent exam, Vy was the runner-up of the Center for Continuing Education - Do Luong District with 26 points, including 9.25 in Literature, 8.75 in History and 8 in Geography. Vy's situation is even more pitiful because not only are her parents financially difficult, but they also have to pay the price for their mistakes, so they cannot live with their children. From the end of secondary school until now, there was a period when Vy and her siblings had to go their separate ways. Vy lived with her uncle, and her sister and brother lived with her grandmother. Vy also shared that: It was natural for her to not pass the public 10th grade exam because in the 8th and 9th grades, she did not care about studying at all, she just slept in class.

Failing the 10th grade of public school, Vy entered the Vocational Education Center - Continuing Education Center of Do Luong district. Due to the circumstances at that time, during her studies, Vy went to school and worked part-time. During the summer, Vy and Nhung went to Bac Ninh to work. The work was hard, but because it was seasonal labor and illegal (because both of them were underage), part of the salary had to be paid to the broker, and part of it was used to pay for accommodation, so the remaining savings were not worth much.

During her days as a factory worker, Vy also realized that not having qualifications and abilities was a real disadvantage. Therefore, after Tet in grade 12, Vy decided to stop working part-time to spend time studying for the university entrance exam: In class, there are team leaders and deputy team leaders. In the factory, it is the same. These people are better educated, so the work is not as hard and the income is also high - Vy shared the reason for her determination.

Aiming to go to university, from a student who was quite playful, Vy changed her attitude towards studying. In addition to studying in class, at home Vy also practiced extra questions and watched lectures on YouTube. Before the day Vy entered the High School Graduation Exam, Vy's mother was also allowed to return home, giving her more motivation to try hard because she wanted to please her mother.

Immediately upon completionHigh school graduation examVy and Nhung took the night bus together to go to Bac Ninh to work. The day the results were announced, both of them had just returned from working the night shift. Early in the morning, they knew the score information but because of the weak internet, they couldn't see it and had to ask the homeroom teacher. Receiving the extremely high test score, both of them screamed loudly, making the landlady panic. With this score, Vy has now registered her first choice to study Literature Pedagogy - Da Nang University with the reason that this major will help her reduce some of her tuition costs. Moreover, she hopes that the new land and new learning environment will give her more strength to start her life over again.

Looking back at the difficulties and hardships that have passed, Vy has never been upset, she has never blamed her father or mother. On the contrary, Vy said that if there were no hardships and obstacles, she would not have been able to progress and be as good as she is today. Vy also hopes that in the future, if she becomes a teacher, standing on the podium and meeting students in the same situation as her, she will tell them not to be discouraged, not to lose their will. And to try, to look to the future to change themselves, to change their lives.