The valedictorian of the mountain town lost his father, lacked the warmth of his mother, and dreamed of becoming a programmer.

Orphaned, lacking the warmth of a mother

We went to the poor student's house in the late afternoon. When we met Anh Tuan, he was carrying a basket to the garden to pick vegetables and was preparing to help his grandmother cook dinner. Our first impression of him was a studious boy with fair skin and bright eyes that shone with intelligence. Not long after his birth, at only 10 months old, Nguyen Duc Anh Tuan lost his father. And Tuan's childhood was a series of days without the warmth of his mother because she worked far away and rarely came to visit him.

Over the years, Tuan grew up in the love of his frail grandmother, who is now over 75 years old and no longer able to work. They depended on each other with her meager pension...

Student Nguyen Duc Anh Tuan always strives to excel in his studies. Photo: Phan Giang

Nguyen Duc Anh Tuan is one of the candidates with difficult circumstances who achieved high scores in the exam.High School Graduation Exam 2022recently in Quy Hop.

When asked about the secret to studying to get the best results, Tuan shared: "I try to grasp all the basic knowledge in textbooks, register for online courses, learn from teachers and friends, look for difficult sets of questions to solve...".

The homeroom teacher and his friends often come to encourage Anh Tuan (in white shirt) to continue pursuing his passion for studying... Photo: Phan Giang

Tuan added that in recent years, his grandmother has become weaker and weaker, making it difficult for her to walk. Besides going to school, he also helps his grandmother take care of the family's daily activities and meals.

Overcoming fate, continuing the dream of university

When asked about his future dreams, Tuan confided: "My dream is to become a programmer in the future." At this point, Tuan looked down at the ground. Perhaps, he thought that the path to that dream would be difficult to realize when his grandmother is 75 years old this year, and her health and finances could hardly support him during the 4 years of studying in the lecture hall.

Tuan lost his father at 10 months old and lives in the love of his frail grandmother, who is now over 75 years old. Photo: Phan Giang

Sharing more about Anh Tuan's situation, homeroom teacher Nguyen Van Quang said that despite having to endure losses and disadvantages compared to his peers, Tuan still persevered in overcoming adversity and studying very well. He has been an excellent student for 12 consecutive years; this school year, Tuan won the third prize in the provincial excellent student category in Mathematics. In the recent national high school exam, Tuan applied to the University of Technology - Vietnam National University, Hanoi with a total score of 30.05 in block A (including priority points). With this score, the university gate is waiting for Tuan, but his future will be quite difficult when he only has the support of his frail grandmother who is over 75 years old.

Taking advantage of free time to help grandmother with housework. Photo: Phan Giang

With all his will and determination, student Anh Tuan is building the first brick for his dream house. Although the road ahead is still long and full of obstacles, hopefully with the care of his family, the support of his teachers, friends and benefactors, the poor student’s dream will take flight…