The path to first prize and top score in Mathematics for two female students of the Thai ethnic group.

The top-scoring female student is not afraid of challenges.

Four days have passed, but even now, Lu Cao Mai Uyen, a student in class 12A1 at Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2, still can't believe the results, especially after learning that her exam score was the highest in the province, winning first prize and being the top scorer in Mathematics at the exam.excellent studentsconscious.

Speaking about her exam, Mai Uyên said: "I got 17.63 points on this year's exam. I think this is my maximum score and I did my best. I think this year's exam wasn't too difficult, and I completed almost the entire test. The only question I couldn't do was question 4b - the question about the Cauchy inequality (1.5 points). For the remaining system of equations question, I got the correct result, but I didn't have much time left, so my proof wasn't rigorous enough, resulting in a deduction of points."

Luu Cao Mai Uyen was once the top-scoring student in the entrance exam.Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2With a score of 47.4 points, she was among the top-scoring students in the 10th grade entrance exam in the province that year. Prior to that, while studying in 9th grade at Kim Son Secondary School (Que Phong), Mai Uyen also achieved outstanding results, winning first prize in Physics and second prize in English at the provincial excellent student competition. That year, Uyen also participated in Mathematics but did not pass.

Although she didn't win an award in Mathematics, Mai Uyên said she really enjoys studying math. The clearest proof of this is her 9.75 score in the 10th grade entrance exam, which quickly caught the attention of her math teacher, Mr. Cao Xuân Hùng, at the No. 2 Ethnic Boarding High School. Later, it was Mr. Hùng who inspired her and instilled in her a love for mathematics.

Adding more details, Uyen said: "Teacher Hung is strict but always encourages us to try our best. His teaching style is also easy to understand, so the more I study, the more interested I become."

Regarding the boarding school environment, Mai Uyên also shared that students are not allowed to use mobile phones. Computers are only used occasionally and require registration, prioritizing foreign language learning. The ban on phone use was initially inconvenient for all students. However, she later found that for subjects where phones were not allowed, learning became more effective.

As with Math, Mai Uyen said that when students encounter a difficult math problem, they can usually go online to find the answer. But when there is no internet, students are forced to research and figure out the solution themselves. This makes learning more interesting, allows them to learn about different types of math problems, and once they understand the underlying principles and methods, they will remember the lesson better and grasp the material more thoroughly.

Another challenge for Mai Uyen is that she is one of the few female students who enjoys and excels in mathematics. However, in the environment where Uyen studies, mathematics is not a strong point, and there aren't many students from ethnic minority groups who are good at math. Knowing her students' feelings, Mr. Hung always encourages them, saying, "The most important thing is to be confident; if you do your best, you won't regret anything." Mai Uyen herself tells herself, "If the boys can do it, I can do it too."

Besides Math, Uyen also took the English exam at this year's provincial-level excellent student competition, but the results were not as good as expected. This female student is currently the class's Youth Union Secretary, participates in many clubs at school, such as the English, Math, and STEM clubs, and is an active member in all activities.

Sharing her story, Lu Cao Mai Uyen also talked about her parents – two teachers currently teaching Literature at Thong Thu Ethnic Boarding Junior High School – a remote and disadvantaged junior high school in Que Phong district. When she was young, due to difficult transportation conditions, Uyen followed her parents to attend primary school in Thong Thu.

When Uyen entered junior high school, she moved to a town to study and had a lot of free time. She had to be independent and live alone because her parents worked far away and couldn't come home often. Having won first prize in Physics in 9th grade, Uyen had the opportunity to be admitted directly to the provincial specialized high school, but she chose to attend a boarding school because she believed that there she could be trained, challenged, and have the chance to prove herself.

First Prize for Overcoming Challenges

The Mathematics team from Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 participating in this year's Provincial Excellent Student Competition for 12th graders had 7 members, and 6 members won prizes, including 2 first prizes, 1 second prize, 2 third prizes, and 1 consolation prize.

According to Mr. Lo Thanh Binh, the school's Vice Principal: "This is a remarkable achievement for the school, as we have never won first prize in Mathematics before. This year, in addition to the two first prizes, the school also has a top-scoring student. What's special is that both are female students from Que Phong district, in the same class, and both are diligent and determined students."

Besides Lu Cao Mai Uyen's top score, the other first prize went to Vy My Uyen with 16.75 points. My Uyen's family lives in Kem Don village, one of the remote and disadvantaged villages in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district. Her parents are farmers, and her family faces difficult circumstances, but from a young age, Uyen has been diligent and achieved many high academic results. In 9th grade, while studying at the district's boarding school, Uyen won second prize in Mathematics and an honorable mention in Physics at the provincial excellent student competition.

Speaking with Uyen, the student said that her biggest motivation for excelling in her studies is to escape poverty and have a brighter future. Perhaps that's why, even though both her parents are farmers, all three of Uyen's siblings have chosen education as their goal.

Therefore, despite extremely difficult times, when they didn't have enough food or clothing, Uyen's older brother – a former student of Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 – graduated from the Security Academy and is now working in Que Phong district. Her second sister also graduated from Vinh Medical University and is now working there.

As the youngest child, Uyen considers herself fortunate because her older siblings taught her from a young age. Even though she studied far from home during high school, her siblings helped out because they were all working and earning incomes. Not wanting to disappoint her family, Uyen constantly strived and studied diligently. Thanks to this, winning first prize in Mathematics at this year's gifted student competition, though unexpected, is a well-deserved achievement after much effort and dedicated guidance from her teachers.

Something special happened to Mai Uyen and My Uyen: in the final stages of this year's 12th-grade gifted student selection exam, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Cao Xuan Hung, who directly coached the math team, transferred to another school. However, putting aside their sadness, the team members all tried their best to do well in the exam as a gift to their teacher. Speaking about his students, Mr. Cao Xuan Hung was also very impressed by their determination, diligence, goal-setting abilities, and perseverance in pursuing their dreams.

Another reason for their success is that the two girls approached mathematics with passion and love for it. Throughout the process of guiding the students, the teacher never created pressure but always encouraged them.

At this year's 12th grade excellent student competition, class 12A1 also brought impressive results to the No. 2 Ethnic Boarding High School with 15 students winning awards. These included 2 first prizes, 4 second prizes, 5 third prizes, and 4 consolation prizes.

Ms. Tran Thi Kim Lien, the class's homeroom teacher, said: "This is a very proud achievement and will be a motivation for the class to move forward in the coming time, with the most important goal being the 2024 High School Graduation Exam and university admissions."