The special thing about 2 female students who won first prize in national history

The secret to memorization of the female national valedictorian

Hoang Thi Thu Hien concludes the exam seasonnational excellent studentWith a sky-high score of 18 points, not only did he win first prize but he also became the nation’s valedictorian. Hien admitted that he was completely “stiff” with this unexpected result.

Hoang Thi Thu Hien is the valedictorian of History at the 2023 National Excellent Student Selection Exam. Photo: My Ha

Sharing her joy, Huyen added: The exam was 180 minutes long and I wrote all 6 test papers. However, there were some answers that I thought I was still not satisfied with. Therefore, I am really happy with the results I have achieved.

Like many other candidates, before entering the National Excellent Student Exam, Hien was under a lot of pressure. However, instead of worrying, Hien chose to study "all night" alone in the dormitory of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. During the 3 years of living here, Hien was also admired by many friends for her diligence, with a rather "strange" way of studying, which was to recite by word. With this way of studying, Hien probably bothered everyone at first. But many students who had lived in the dormitory with Hien said that later, because they heard Hien recite by word, even without the sound of Hien studying, they really felt "missing".

For two consecutive years, Hien has won high prizes at the National Excellent Student Competition. Photo: NVCC

Hard work is also one of the first reasons that helps the female National History Top Student have an impressive "rebound", especially in the final year of grade 12.

Before that, in high school, Hien studied at Tran Phu Secondary School - a very normal school in Thai Son commune, Do Luong district. Because she was not a gifted student, Hien never thought she would be selected for the gifted student team. Later, Hien said she was lucky because in the entrance exam, Hien and a friend in the gifted class had the same score, but because Hien had better handwriting, she was selected for the school team. She studied diligently and diligently for 4 consecutive years, but in grade 9, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hien was not allowed to participate in the Provincial Gifted Student Selection Exam. Feeling sorry for the students who had to study hard, Hien and her friends were encouraged by their teachers to take the exam to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. In that trial exam, Hien unexpectedly passed the exam despite a modest passing score, ranking 24th in the specialized subject and 34th in the specialized class.

During 3 years of studying away from home, Hien lived in the school dormitory. Photo: My Ha

Hien's family has 4 siblings, Hien is the eldest and after her there are 3 younger siblings. Hien's mother is a kindergarten teacher, Hien's father is a driver, so the family's life has many difficulties. Knowing the family's situation, since studying at Phan school far from home, Hien loves her parents even more and tries to study really well, first of all, she must have a scholarship. However, because of the modest entrance fee, Hien admits that maintaining the scholarship is not easy. After finishing grade 10, Hien was selected for the team and 1 year ago, when she was in grade 11, Hien won the third prize in the National Excellent Student.

As the homeroom teacher and direct trainer of Hoang Thi Thu Hien, teacher Bui Bich Hau shared: After 3 years of accompanying Hien and with all her efforts and attempts, I was not surprised to hear that Hien won first prize at this year's National Excellent Student Competition and won the valedictorian position.

As the eldest of four siblings in Do Luong district, Hien always tries to bring joy and pride to her family and set an example for her younger siblings at home. Photo: NVCC

Talking about herself, Hien said that she does not have many secrets to study History well, other than being diligent, loving to read books and always trying to find more information around the lessons to expand the issue. But with teacher Bui Bich Hau, she said that Hien has 4 strategies to succeed. In addition to the reasons that Hien has shared, there are other reasons, which are that when doing the test, Hien is very alert, always knows how to prioritize, chooses the questions that she is strong in to do first to be able to achieve maximum score. In the connection part, this is a very difficult part because it requires students to analyze, observe, and connect between the past, present and future, Hien often does it very fully because she has a lot of knowledge and knows how to expand the issue. Hien is also a very neat student, her handwriting is very beautiful, with enough strokes, and she never uses abbreviations, so it is easy to win the sympathy of the examiner.

With the above advantages, Hoang Thi Thu Hien did not seem to hesitate when she decided to pursue Pedagogy to become a History teacher in the future. Hien also said: Studying History has given me many things, helping me to slow down, be patient and appreciate the past. And I want to pass that inspiration on to many of my students in the future.

Hoang Thi Thu Hien and Nguyen Ngoc An with teachers training the History Team. Photo: My Ha

"Jump" of 11th grade female student

Nguyen Ngoc An is also a member of the History Team of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. However, to be included in the list of 10 students, of which there were only a few spots for 11th graders, An had to go through a process of constant striving and effort. This 17-year-old girl could not avoid the pressure of an exam that seemed beyond her ability. Therefore, before the exam day, instead of studying "all night", instead of feeling "empty" because she suddenly forgot all the knowledge, An chose to stay alone in her room and cry. After a day of closing the door, An regained her motivation.

An's house is in Hung Tay commune, Hung Nguyen district, bordering Vinh city. Although she doesn't have to go to school far from home, having to travel more than 10km back and forth every day is still a challenge for the little girl. Before that, if she hadn't had time to practice during the 4 years of studying at the gifted school in Hung Nguyen district, An probably wouldn't have been able to train herself to be this resilient.

Nguyen Ngoc An is currently in grade 11 and is one of the youngest members of the History Team of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Photo: NVCC

An is the middle child in a family of three children. An's mother sells goods at the market and her father works in transportation, so the education of the children in the family is mainly due to their own efforts. When she was in junior high school, An studied all subjects and won third prize in Literature and History in the Provincial Excellent Student Competition in grade 9. Before taking the entrance exam to grade 10, An hesitated about the specialized system, but in the end she decided to choose History because she really loved this subject. When taking the entrance exam to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, An was in the top 5 in specialized subjects and had a fairly favorable start.

Recalling her student, teacher Le Thi Phuong - the homeroom teacher and direct tutor also said: From the beginning, An was a bright factor in the class because she spoke well, explained confidently and wrote well in many extracurricular activities. I was also very impressed with An's first tests because she wrote confidently, emotionally and flexibly applied the knowledge she had learned.

Nguyen Ngoc An was a student at Le Hong Phong Secondary School (Hung Nguyen District). Photo: My Ha

Teacher Le Phuong also especially emphasized the emotional element in a history test. This, if students have knowledge but write dryly, it will become boring. Meanwhile, with An's tests, every time she reads, grades the test, she is also drawn into the writing. An's advantage is that An has a very solid grasp of the knowledge in the textbook and with her advantage in Literature, An has turned dry knowledge into an emotional writing. Meeting a student like An, teacher Ha Phuong also said that she feels lucky because "in today's era, most students are heavy on practicality and economics, but there are still students who love history and that is the most important factor for them to study history well".

Emotional writing is Ngoc An's advantage in History exams. Photo: My Ha

To win first prize in History while studying in grade 11, pressure on An was inevitable. However, with a special love for this subject, An accepted the pressure gently and tried to conquer it with daily efforts. Even when the exam was near, although studying 1 year behind his older siblings and sprinting to supplement grade 12 knowledge in a few months, An and the other members of the team were still confident of reaching the finish line successfully.

The first prize winner of the national History subject shared: My teacher often advised me that to study History well, I must not use my mind but my heart. Therefore, I am very happy because thanks to History, I understand the past and present and practice many important skills, helping us to demonstrate our own abilities. From History, I also love the history of my nation more and am more proud of my homeland and country.

The History team of excellent students achieved 100% of the students winning prizes. Photo: My Ha

This is the first year that the National History Team of Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted has had two contestants win First Prize. In addition, this was also a successful competition season when all 10 contestants in the History competition won prizes, including two First Prizes, three Second Prizes, four Third Prizes and one Encouragement Prize.