The 'peppercorn' girl and the secret to studying well

Dang Thi Thu Thao in her study corner. Photo: Thanh Nga

Young party members in difficult areas

Thu Thao was born and raised in Nghi Kieu commune, which is considered a difficult area of ​​Nghi Loc district, where many people choose to leave their hometown to start a business. Therefore, from a young age, Thao and her sisters were soon equipped with independence and self-discipline. "Because my parents often had to work far away to earn money to support my siblings' education, I replaced both my father and mother to teach and take care of my younger brother who is only 1 year younger than me," Thao said.

Dang Thi Thu Thao (middle) and her classmates. Photo: NVCC

Realizing that only the path of education can bring her and her family to brighter horizons, Thao has shown her willpower since childhood compared to her peers. She studies hard and always has the will to progress, today must be better than yesterday, this semester must be better than the previous semester. Therefore, she is always a shining example for her friends to follow. Thao's example is not only exemplary but also the ability to lead others. "Thao often helps friends, supports them in big and small tasks. When there is no teacher, the little class monitor is always the eldest sister in the class, in the union. She is the most impressive class monitor to me", said the homeroom teacher of class 12A1 - Nghi Loc 5 High School Pham Lam Tung.

At the 2021 "Road to Olympia" contest, Thao won second prize in the weekly contest. Photo: NVCC

Studying, playing and training are always balanced by Thao in the most scientific way. Therefore, for 12 consecutive years, this little student has always been the class monitor; achieved the title of Excellent Team Leader at the provincial level. Especially, recently Thao was honored to participate in the "Road to Olympia" Contest organized by Vietnam Television and won second prize in the weekly contest.

“It was an interesting experience in my student life. Although the results were modest, I gained a fair amount of knowledge during the exam preparation process. For me, that was also a success,” Thao shared.

Class 12A1, Nghi Loc 5 High School is assessed to have relatively even student quality, with a very high university entrance rate. Photo: NVCC

Talking about Thao, friends and teachers not only mention her for her understanding and ability to study all subjects, but also for her efforts in group activities. Whether at home or at school, Thao always stands out as a leader in all movements. With Thao, students are willing to participate in summer activities, and with Thao, local Union activities have passion and order. Thao is also the only student in Nghi Loc district to achieve the title of "3 good" student at the provincial level in the 2020-2021 school year. Thanks to these outstanding achievements, Thao was honored to be admitted to the Party at school when she was only 17 years old.

The secret to studying well

Thao often guides and advises her younger brother in his studies. Photo: Thanh Nga

Talking about the recent national high school exam, Thao is still emotional: I did not expect my Literature score to reach 9.5 points, which is also my highest Literature score ever. My secret to learning Literature is reading comprehension and researching texts. From the literary works that teachers have explained, Thao always finds ways to practice writing, write a lot, and write with different approaches.

“Although Foreign Language was the subject with the highest score of 9.6 points, I was not surprised because I gave it the correct score after finishing the exam. Foreign Language is a fairly easy subject to study if you have a scientific foundation and ability to memorize, and the rest is to practice questions and vocabulary. I think I have grasped that “keyword” so learning foreign language is quite smooth,” Thao said.

These days, Thu Thao often helps her mother with daily chores. Photo: Thanh Nga

Talking about the high school graduation exam, Thao said that, in addition to the three main subjects for the university entrance exam, she basically mastered the knowledge in class and did exercises right in class for the other subjects. “During the last years of junior high school and the beginning of high school, the Chemistry teacher always persuaded me to follow block A, persuaded me to join the school's Chemistry team, and in grade 12, all the teachers were surprised by my "turnaround" because I chose block D01 including Math, Literature, and Foreign Languages", Thao said. Therefore, "studying well" and "being good at everything" also have a foundation, it is not difficult to explain why she is "good at everything" in both blocks of Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. "Thao has a scientific way of studying science because she absorbs most of it in class, then proactively studies a lot on her own, not only "plowing" the questions but also practicing and asking teachers and friends thoroughly for any type of question that she is not really proficient in", said teacher Pham Lam Tung - Thao's homeroom teacher.

Studying and practicing are the words that have always followed Thao from primary school to high school. "I am not a smart student, learning one and knowing two or three things, but only diligence makes me confident to update my knowledge completely," Thao confided. That diligence combined with a scientific arrangement has helped Thao study all subjects, from Math, Physics, Chemistry, to Literature, History, Geography, and English. "English is my best subject, but in my hometown there is no English training center according to international standards, so I had to explore the internet and participate in online courses with the guidance of teachers." With her passion for foreign languages, this student from a disadvantaged area of ​​Nghi Loc district won a prize in the district's English competition, surprising her teachers and classmates at school.

Thao also said that in the competency assessment exam, she scored 110 points and was admitted to the National Economics University. This was also an interesting experience because this exam evaluated students in a multidimensional way and if you want to take the exam, you must have a balanced review of all subjects.

Passing the entrance exam to Foreign Trade University with the major of Foreign Economics, which is a hot major of the school, Thao hopes to work in a dynamic environment with many new innovations. Thao said that is the gift she wants to give her parents, to repay their hard work and dedication for Thao and her sisters.

Being in the top 10 out of 20 students recognized at the provincial level, Thao said that she and her family are extremely happy, honored and proud. “Although the road ahead is still long, I believe that what I will do and choose is the right direction.”