My name is Le Thi Huynh Nhu, student of cohort 16 majoring in Biotechonology at An Giang University. I was one of 80 students receiving Teillon-Ludlow scholarship for the first time in Vietnam.
When I and my sibling were young, we had to live in a deprived situation, we relied on the support of my school and local authorities to be able go to school. When I was in high school, my parents were not able to send both of us to school, so one child had to stay at home. I was the luckier one, and my sister had to withdraw from school and get a part-time job to help my family. Their sacrifice ignited in me the determination to get into college. I successfully managed to get into An Giang University and was the student who got the second highest result in the University entrance exam. This was such a happy moment for the whole family of mine. However, I felt as if I was a financial burden for my parents and I felt very guilty. Only my tuition fee and living cost was 2/3 of my household income, and my parents and sister had to eat only rice and fish sauce to save money for me. In the first year of university, I had to apply for a financial aid. Next year, as the tuition fee was increased and there were a lot of field trips, I had to decide to stop my study. I thought I could not continue learning no matter how big my dream was. I could not see my parents working hard day by day just to see their daughter study, I could not be a selfish child.
Despite the difficulties, my parents still encouraged me to come back and learn, so after a lot of thought I returned to the university. During that time, I was informed about Teillon-Ludlow scholarship, so I applied for it and was very lucky to receive the scholarship. The scholarship really helped me and my family when it comes to finance, therefore I was able to follow my dream without any hesitation. In addition, I was provided with a room in the dormitory to live in and a computer to study more effectively. I also participated in soft skills training courses, thanks to which I gradually became more active in voluntary activities and met many successful and inspirational people. These were all valuable knowledge that I will bring with me when working.
With the generous support from the scholarship, I managed to have a successful thesis defense and graduated with Good qualification and GPA 3.32/4. I have not gotten a job yet but I am taking care of an orchid garden. I will start working in Can Tho in January 2020.
At the end of this letter, I would like to express my gratitude for Mr. Teillon and Mrs. Ludlow. I wish you abundant health to continue your community support activities. I hope you can help many more students like me.
Best regards,
Le Thi Huynh Nhu
