Valedictorian of village school with passion for Chemistry

This outstanding achievement of mine is after many years of diligent study, systematic learning, and seriousness with scientific learning methods...

Nam has become a shining example for the 9A students of Dien Hong Secondary School. Photo: Mai Giang

Coming to Dien Hong Secondary School (Dien Chau) on the occasion of the school's organization to honor excellent students of the province in grade 9. In the recent provincial excellent student competition, the school had 3 students winning prizes, including 1 student winning first prize in Chemistry, 1 student winning third prize in Physics and an encouragement prize in Geography. This is the first year this village school has a valedictorian, so the joy and pride are multiplied.

The school's Board of Directors commended students for their achievements in the provincial excellent student exam. Photo: Mai Giang

Born into a poor family, his mother was a small trader in the market, his father only stayed at home to help the family due to poor health, but for many years Tran Bao Nam has always overcome difficulties to excel in his studies. He has been an excellent student for 8 consecutive years.

Nam's passion for Chemistry began in 8th grade. When first exposed to this subject, Nam was fascinated by its novelty and practical applications. For Nam, knowledge and understanding of Chemistry has also become a bridge to help him apply and solve exercises in other natural science subjects. Nam shared: "My brother is also good at Chemistry, the two of us often practice chemical reactions together and have discovered many interesting phenomena that have practical significance to life."

I do not study by cramming, but study according to my passion and interests, with a comfortable mentality, without constraints or pressure. In addition to studying and researching the materials provided by the teacher, I also research and do more difficult types of questions, go online to learn more, and find practice exercises.

Teacher Nguyen Thi Thuy Luu always pays special attention to imparting Chemistry knowledge to Nam. Photo: Mai Giang

Nam’s experience when studying Chemistry is to always write down the interesting things he reads or thinks of, and arranges the knowledge into sections to make it easier to understand and remember. Along with regularly reading newspapers about scientific events or fields related to Chemistry, Nam has been able to cultivate his passion.

“I have taken many exams and won many high awards at the district level, but when participating in this excellent student exam, I was very nervous and worried. With the determination not to disappoint the expectations of my subject teacher, the school and my parents, I tried to stay calm and apply the knowledge I had learned to do the test,” Nam confided.

Class 9A, Dien Hong Secondary School, in the joy of having 3 students achieving provincial excellent students.

As Nam's Chemistry tutor, teacher Nguyen Thi Thuy Luu said: Nam is one of the very good and exemplary students and especially has a spirit of hard work and learning; he is really passionate about Chemistry and has a very good way of self-studying.

Although they cannot guide their children in studying, Nam's parents always encourage them to be self-disciplined. In the evening, he studies from 7pm to 10pm. In the morning, he wakes up at 5am to memorize and learn the lesson of the day in advance. In the remaining time, Nam rests, reads books and participates in sports activities. Mr. Tran Hung - Nam's father shared: "I only encourage my children to study, creating conditions for them to have good materials to refer to. Besides, I also do not encourage my children to study by cramming, but to study according to their passion and interests."

Not only good at Chemistry, Nam also spends appropriate time to ensure his knowledge of other subjects. In addition to his Chemistry final grade of 9.9 in the first semester, he also got above 9 in Mathematics, Physics, and Biology. His average score for the first semester was 8.6.

Teacher Nguyen Hai Dong - Principal of Dien Hong Secondary School said: In the 2022-2023 provincial excellent student exam, the school had 3 excellent students including Tran Bao Nam, Nguyen Ngoc Kim Ngan and Mai Thi Huyen Trang; ranked 10th in the district. Among them, Tran Bao Nam was the valedictorian. This is the result of his efforts and diligence in studying, and the enthusiasm of teachers during the training process.

The first prize in the provincial excellent student competition is a worthy reward for Nam’s tireless efforts. It is also the foundation for him to nurture his dream of becoming a student at the University of Medicine in the future.

Mai Giang