'Always a valedictorian but only found out what I like at 32'

6 young people are 6 stories, 6 separate paths to the famous Stanford University, but they have one thing in common: the ability to self-study and the confidence to do their best for the set goals.

That is the main message that young people who studied at Stanford share with parents who are wondering about their children's education and orientation.

It's not what you have that matters, it's who you are.

Nguyen Chi Hieu, a PhD at Stanford University, once named in a list of "100 most outstanding students in the world", began the discussion with his own story.

When he was in 3rd and 4th grade, Hieu was a very good student, with certificates of merit hanging all over his house. Then one day, Hieu felt bored with studying and told his parents that he didn't want to study anymore because the certificates of merit were hanging all over his house.

Hieu's father took all of his certificates hanging on the wall, tore them up, and threw them all in the trash: "You see, certificates are just pieces of paper. They come to you but can also be lost at any time. What's important is what's in your head and in your heart."

"I was still young at that time, but looking back now, that was the motivation for me to this day. My parents didn't give me much, they just gave me an attitude in life, to do everything with all my heart, and to learn everything on my own" - Hieu said.

Guests attending the discussion held at Olympia High School (from left to right): Nguyen Chi Hieu, Pham Kim Hung, Vo Tuong An, Huynh Minh Viet. Photo: Le Van.

Huynh Minh Viet, who studied at Stanford University and then got his master's degree at Harvard University, also said that in his essay to apply to the school, he told his own story. That was the time Viet studied high school in Singapore and joined the school's soccer team.

In the football team, Viet only did odd jobs and was not outstanding, so the coach did not choose him for the national team. Later, thanks to his friends' help, Viet was chosen as a "reserve".

"I wrote in my essay that, in my role, in any group, any environment, I do my best in that situation and do it most seriously, deeply, wholeheartedly and the best things will happen" - Mr. Viet said.

Vo Tuong An, a famous Quang Ngai girl with scholarships from 12 major American universities, finally chose Stanford University, also shared her story when she had to go to the US to study alone since finishing middle school. Those were the difficulties of a completely new environment, broken English, no one knew she was a star, even being ignored because she was "Asian"...

"I may not be in the best position among all those competing to reach my goal, but no matter what, I will find a way to reach that goal" - Vo Tuong An summarized from his own story when answering the question: Why did Stanford decide to choose him.

Vo Tuong An, a girl from Quang Ngai, is a freshman at Stanford University. Photo: Le Van.

Van Dinh Hong Vu, who received two scholarships for a Master's degree in Business Administration and Education from Stanford University, shared that at Stanford, no one will tell you why you were chosen to attend the school, even though this is a question that most students ask.

However, Hong Vu believes that at Stanford, people do not care about achievements, because everyone there is a star. "People care about the story behind your achievements, to know who you are, what goals you set and how to achieve them."

Parents must accompany and inspire their children's passion.

Responding to the question of how his parents accompanied him on his journey to Stanford, Pham Kim Hung, who was once known as the "golden boy" of Vietnamese Mathematics, shared that he was very grateful to his mother because when he was still in school, his mother was always the one who set an example for Hung to take as motivation. "The advice and words of parents have a great influence on their children."

Hung also shared that parents should not force their children to study but should inspire them to pursue a certain passion. "Everyone cannot be good at everything, they can only be good at one thing. Parents should find out what their children are passionate about and nurture that."

Pham Kim Hung, the "golden boy" of Vietnamese Mathematics. Photo: Le Van.

Vo Tuong An shared that it was only after he grew up that he discovered that he had become exactly like the role models his parents set for him when he was young, without him even realizing it.

An said the pressure her parents put on her helped her become more determined in defining her own criteria and values ​​to achieve.

However, since An went to study abroad in high school, her parents completely trusted her decision. "At that time, no matter what activity I participated in, I just had to send a notice home. My father couldn't understand a word of it but still signed it."

As for Nguyen Chi Hieu, in his family, his father was a Math teacher and his mother was a Literature teacher. Therefore, when he entered 6th grade, his family had a debate about whether Hieu should study in his father's or mother's major. In the end, Hieu chose to study English. The same thing happened in 10th grade.

"My parents didn't force me because they knew it was my decision. Instead, because no one knew English, they used all the money they had to buy books for me to study," Hieu said.

Van Dinh Hong Vu shared that when she was young, her parents did not let her study at a specialized school because they were afraid that she would care too much about achievements and not about studying for her own good. "My parents always taught me that studying is for me, not for achievements. Getting high scores is not a joy, not a motivation for studying" - Hong Vu shared.

Nguyen Chi Hieu, PhD Stanford University, chaired the discussion. Photo: Le Van

Nguyen Chi Hieu believes that what parents can give their children is not to force them to achieve something at a certain age or to orient them to pursue this or that passion. "I myself finished my PhD and MBA, always being the valedictorian, but it was not until I was 32 that I really knew what I liked."

"Parents must be the ones to give their children the values ​​that they need to aim for: self-study and doing their best for their passion. When their children have a passion, parents must be the ones to create all the conditions to pursue that passion. At that time, we must accept to let go of unnecessary things for our children" - Nguyen Chi Hieu shared.

According to Nguyen Chi Hieu, children need to have the ability to study on their own and have confidence so that they can make their own decisions. "I think that is more important when children go to university and then graduate from university."

According to VNN