Although her father is from Do Luong, Oc Thi Quynh Anh (born in 2004) was born in her mother's hometown (Khmer people), in a Thai village in Tuong Duong district. At the age of 4, Quynh Anh left her family to go to Vinh city to live with her aunt. That's why Quynh Anh formed a sense of independence very early, knowing how to manage housework, take care of herself and arrange her own studies. By grade 9, facing pressure from relatives and changes in perception, Quynh Anh convinced her family to let her return to Tuong Duong to continue her high school program. During those years, family incidents happened to her one after another. Her mother was in trouble, her father and 2 younger brothers returned to her paternal hometown, Quynh Anh lived alone in a house in a remote mountainous district. The loneliness and inferiority complex of puberty weighed heavily on her small heart.
“There were times when I locked myself in the house because I didn’t want to talk or interact with anyone. At night, I would think about random things and cry, but the next morning, even though my eyes were swollen, I still acted calm as if nothing had happened. I was afraid that people would see through me, I didn’t want anyone to see the weak person inside me” – Quynh Anh recalls.
Although living alone, Quynh Anh is taken care of and loved by her grandparents nearby. Her grandfather always said that as long as he is alive, he will take care of Quynh Anh's education. Therefore, his entire salary of 2 million VND per month is spent on Quynh Anh. The love and trust of her grandparents is also the motivation for Quynh Anh to complete 3 years of high school with excellence. She confided: "When I was in Vinh, I was an average student and lived day by day with the belief that I was not smart or talented. But during my high school years at the district school, to reassure my mother and please my grandparents, I always tried my best to do everything, achieving the highest results within my ability. I myself did not expect that I could compete in many subjects at the same time, win 3rd prize in the Provincial Literature Competition and be voted as the 3rd Good Student at the Provincial level."
With her achievements, Quynh Anh passed the early entrance exam to the English Language Department, Hanoi University. The preferential policy for ethnic minority students and poor households helps Quynh Anh get 100% tuition exemption, however, the large living expenses in the capital are a difficult problem for her. As soon as she arrived in Hanoi, the first-year student looked for a center, registered to teach as a tutor, and sell goods at all available hours during the week, with the sole goal of having enough money to cover her living expenses. Not long after that, her grandfather - Quynh Anh's biggest supporter - passed away, and difficulties continued to pile up...
Dare to dream, never give up – this spirit helped Quynh Anh win many scholarships during her student years, including the “Lion Heart” scholarship from the British University.
In her scholarship essay, Quynh Anh chose to face what she had experienced in the most straightforward, sincere and courageous way. “I just visited my mother from prison…” – the essay began like that, an essay like no other about a childhood like no other.
“This scholarship application consists of many parts, each of which requires meticulousness and meticulousness, with many skills that I have not yet perfected. There were times when I was editing a design over and over again, writing an essay over and over again, and I was so tired that I wanted to give up. There were times when I stayed up many nights in a row, making me exhausted… Looking back on the journey I have gone through, I feel so lucky to have received so much help from everyone. And I am also grateful to myself for not giving up” – Quynh Anh confided.
On the journey that student Oc Thi Quynh Anh has been and is taking, there may be lonely moments, hardships that are difficult to share, but she is certainly not alone. Quynh Anh receives a lot of love from everyone and vows to give love to all those less fortunate.
In Quynh Anh's story, her friend Ngo Duc Hieu (from Vinh city) is mentioned in a very special role. Hieu met Quynh Anh on an educational forum, when both were worried about "not having money to go to university". From the sympathy for the disadvantages in life, Quynh Anh and Hieu became closer and always encouraged and accompanied each other in studying. Talking about her best friend, Quynh Anh said: "We both studied at the same university, from the same hometown, and had to be independent in all aspects of life, so it was easy to share and sympathize with each other. Last year, after Hieu won a 1 billion VND scholarship at the British University, he guided and convinced me to conquer the scholarship this year. Hieu always believed that I could do it and did not allow me to give up. Without this friend, there would definitely be no me with the "Lion Heart" of today".
The love that Quynh Anh received is also present in the monthly scholarship of “Khu Kho Hoc” given by artist Le Cat Trong Ly; present in the old laptop received from the “Duoc Hoc” program of the Nuoi Em project; present in the self-development courses for ethnic minorities; present in the encouragement and support of seniors...
In return for the love she received, Quynh Anh has “returned” many sincere feelings to the children in the highlands. Quynh Anh is a volunteer of the “This book is for building a school” project – asking for old books and selling them to raise funds to build schools for children in the highlands. At the same time, she is one of the active members of the Faith volunteer group with many practical activities such as the Raising Children project, building schools for children in the highlands, supporting computers for poor students, etc.
Quynh Anh shared: “More than anyone, I understand that the path to study, escape poverty, and self-improvement for children in the highlands is extremely difficult. If they cannot do it, they will have to stay with disadvantages and gender prejudices. I want to do my best to help children go to school, have access to knowledge, and have access to good opportunities for a good future. This is also my long-term aspiration.”
Commenting on Quynh Anh, Mr. Hoang Hoa Trung - Head of the Raising Children Project said: “Born in difficult and disadvantaged circumstances, Quynh Anh has tried very hard to become the best version of herself. Despite limited time, studying, working, and volunteering at the same time, Quynh Anh always completes her assigned tasks responsibly and scientifically. With what she has shown, I believe that when placed in a larger environment with more opportunities, Quynh Anh will go very far.”
“The path that Quynh Anh has been taking is completely consistent with her personality. She always remains optimistic, positive, passionate, ambitious and does her best to realize her ambitions. Quynh Anh’s story will contribute to inspiring ethnic minority students, helping them have more confidence to overcome their fate” – Ngo Duc Hieu shared about his close friend.
