The journey to the title of valedictorian of Literature in Nghe An province of a poor Khmu female student

Although 5 days have passed, the joy and surprise have not yet faded from the faces of teachers and students of Ky Son Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities. Throughout the school yard, many groups of students still gathered around Moong Thi Thom, a 9A student, to congratulate her on her achievement as the valedictorian of Literature in the recent 9th grade provincial excellent student exam. The radiant face of this Khmu female student made the teachers of the school even more proud, especially when they learned about what Thom had been through and her journey to get to where she is today.

When we met, Moong Thi Thom seemed more shy. Thom said that she was born into a poor family in Vang Phao village of Muong Tip border commune. Her father, Moong Van Phieu, and her mother, Hoa Thi Phai, worked hard all year round on the fields to raise her two children and give them an education. Thom said that in previous years, the family of four had to live in a dilapidated house. At that time, she only wished she had a solid house to live in, so that every time it rained, she wouldn't have to run from corner to corner to avoid leaks.

Relying on the fields, sometimes hungry, sometimes full, not enough to provide for their children's education, in 2021, Moong Van Phieu and his wife had to leave their two children in their hometown and take a bus to the South to work for companies. The years Thom was in 7th and 8th grade were also the two years that her parents were gone. The life of the two siblings, already difficult in terms of material things, now lacked the love and care of their parents.

“I miss my parents so much. My siblings and I work so hard at home that sometimes I think I might have to stop studying. But thinking back, if I quit school, the people who will be most disappointed are my parents, brother and teachers who love me. I am afraid of hurting everyone, so I have to continue trying harder,” Moong Thi Thom shared.

Seeing her brother who had just finished 12th grade having to work hard every day doing housework and farming to take care of her, Moong Thi Thom often cried at night. On days off, Thom would run back to her home, which was more than 30km away from her school, to help her brother. To earn money to cover expenses, Thom discussed with her brother that she would work for hire during the summer break, doing whatever job was needed, as long as it made their lives less difficult.

“At first, my brother did not agree because he was afraid that I would work too hard and forget about studying. But after I convinced him that I would only do light work like babysitting, helping in the kitchen, and washing dishes, he reluctantly agreed,” Thom said.

Then, during the summer days of the 8th grade, Thom asked around the district, from restaurants, eateries to families who needed to hire people to find work. Luckily, someone introduced her to babysitting for a monthly salary of 1 million VND. Thom said that even though she only had 1 million VND, the homeowner promised to provide her with enough food, so she agreed right away, because at least it would help her poor family eat less.

On the first day she went to Muong Xen town to work, the poor Khmu female student only brought a few sets of clothes and a bag full of books. Thom said that the landlord saw that she was eager to learn and polite, so they liked her very much and created all the conditions for her to have free time to study and read more.

“During the day, I babysat for them, and at night I took out my books to study. The more I studied, the more I felt I had gaps, so even though it was summer, I borrowed the landlord’s phone to ask the teacher for more guidance. Thanks to that, after 2 months, I was able to gain a lot of new knowledge,” the poor female student confided.

Moong Thi Thom also said that she has been passionate about Literature since she was a primary school student. When she entered secondary school, she was able to study in a boarding environment, and was guided by teacher Le Thi Thanh Huong, she became even more passionate. And from grade 6 until now, she has always won the title of excellent student at the district level in this subject.

For Moong Thi Thom, when coming to Literature, she feels more confident and has the will to overcome her own circumstances. “Literature also enriches my soul, I love my village and the people around me even more. My future dream is to become a Literature teacher to bring knowledge to the children in my hometown village, contributing a small part to changing the awareness and thinking of the ethnic people of Ky Son” – Thom confided.

Talking about the poor student Moong Thi Thom, teacher Le Thi Thanh Huong - a teacher at Ky Son Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, who directly trained her, shared: Thom has a very difficult family situation, but her will and determination are worth following. Every day, in addition to her class hours, Thom goes to the library to borrow books to read.

“I also regularly follow and encourage him to try his best. Many days when I see him struggling, I have to buy him extra food and drinks to nourish him. Achieving the results he has today is a long and tireless journey for both me and him, but the most important thing is still his progress,” said teacher Le Thi Thanh Huong.