The remarkable achievements of a poor and fatherless student
(Baonghean.vn) - Born in the poor village of Muong Piet (Thong Thu, Que Phong), her father passed away when she was only a few months old. Seven years later, her mother remarried. Despite the poverty that followed, Thao Le, a 7B student at Dong Van Secondary School (Que Phong), overcame adversity and became a role model in her studies.
We met Thao Le in a small stilt house on a hill while she was looking after her two younger siblings. Our first impression was of a little girl with bright eyes, a cute face and a petite figure.
With her hands deftly fanning her sleeping youngest brother, Thao Le told us her story. She was born and raised in Muong Piet village (Thong Thu), her father suddenly passed away when she was only a few months old.
When I was 7, my mother married another man in Dong Moi village, Dong Van commune and had two more children, a boy and a girl. After that, I followed my mother to live with my stepfather and went to school there.
 |
Overcoming her circumstances, Thao Le always achieved high academic results. Photo: Luong Nga |
Luckily for me, my stepfather loves my mother and me very much, and my grandparents always worry and take care of me like their own grandchild. It is the warmth of this love that has become the motivation and belief for me to strive to improve.
While they were chatting, the youngest brother suddenly woke up. Thao Le quickly picked him up and comforted him. Seeing this, the second younger sister, who was only 4 years old this year, also ran to her sister and acted spoiled.
At only 12 years old, Thao Le has done so much to help her family. In addition to her school hours, she goes to the forest to collect firewood and then comes back to look after her younger siblings. She takes care of all the housework.
I shared: Seeing my parents working hard every day, going deep into the forest to pick bamboo shoots to buy more books for me, buy rice to feed my three siblings, and catching crabs and frogs in the evening to improve our meals, I silently promised myself that I would try my best to not let down my mother's birth and my father's upbringing.
 |
| Not only is Thao Le a good student, she is also very obedient and good at housework. Photo: Luong Nga |
Although there is a lot of housework every day, I still arrange my study time well. I spend most of my time studying in the afternoon to take advantage of the sunlight. When my siblings are sleeping, Thao Le takes advantage of the time to do housework.
Despite her difficult circumstances, everyone admired the academic achievements of this poor student from the border area. From grade 1 to grade 6, she was an advanced student and a good student. Every year, she won the clean and beautiful handwriting contest.
In July 2017, I was honored to be one of 64 students recognized by the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union at the Festival of Ethnic Minority Children, with difficult circumstances who excelled in their studies in the 2016-2017 school year; I was one of 200 outstanding faces nationwide at the 3rd National Ethnic Children's Festival in 2017 held in Hanoi and was honored to receive the Vu A Dinh scholarship fund in 2017.
Teacher Truong Van Nghia, Thao Le's homeroom teacher, commented: "Thao Le is an exemplary class monitor, not only good at studying and writing beautifully, but also a leader in class activities. Despite her difficult family circumstances, she always knows how to excel in life as well as in her studies."
An exemplary class monitor, an excellent student and a dutiful child, that is all Thao Le has. Despite the harsh circumstances and many difficulties in life, Thao Le still strives, her biggest dream now is to study well to become a People's Police officer.
