Ha Tran Cam Tu, a 12th grader specializing in English at Hoang Le Kha High School for the Gifted in Tay Ninh Province, received a full scholarship, worth over US$100,000 a year for four years, to study economics at the University of Chicago.
The scholarship also provides financial support for research projects and summer internships.
According to QS and U.S. News rankings, the University of Chicago is ranked 21st globally and 11th in the U.S.
Initially Tu did not have high expectations, especially after her unsuccessful Early Decision application. So the acceptance letter on Feb. 14 came as a pleasant surprise.
“It was a joyful day for my whole family,” she says.
Since she was in elementary school Tu thought about studying abroad after joining an English club run by AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-led organization.
So, from seventh grade, she simultaneously followed Vietnam’s national curriculum and a U.S. online program. Learning lessons in English, combined with extensive reading and writing, improved her language proficiency.
She also began developing her extracurricular profile from eighth grade.
Through connections provided by her online teachers, she taught Vietnamese to around 20 people on weekends, which also enabled her to enhance her English skills and network.
Ha Tran Cam Tu in a potrait photo she provides.
Three years ago Tu earned the highest score to ener the English-specialized class at Hoang Le Kha High School for the Gifted.
She actively participated in her school’s media club and organized a leadership skills summer camp for 200 students in HCMC.
Driven by her passion for economics, she participated in the ACCA Futurist competition organized by the U.K.’s Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, winning first prize, and earned an encouragement award at the Vietnam Economics Olympiad.
Academically, Tu maintained a GPA above 9.5, achieved an IELTS score of 8.5, and scored 1540 out of 1600 in SAT.
She won an encouragement award in Vietnam’s National Contest for Gifted Students in English while in 12th grade.
At her online school, Tu achieved straight A+ grades in mathematics, literature, history, social studies, physics, and chemistry.
In her college application essay, Tu spoke about her tranquil hometown in Tay Ninh Province, located near the Vietnam-Cambodia border, and how she persistently sought opportunities beyond her small town to develop herself.
While in fifth grade, she won a full scholarship for a seven-day STEM summer camp in Singapore. Her participation in various competitions took her to many places across Vietnam like HCMC, Hanoi, Ca Mau, Thai Nguyen, and Phu Tho.
“You don’t need to come from a big city or prestigious school to dream of studying abroad,” she says.
“Anyone with clear goals and a concrete plan can fulfill their dreams.”
Among her essays, she particularly enjoyed one creative prompt that required applicants to reinterpret an English expression involving colors.
She chose the phrase “gray area,” typically indicating uncertainty or ambiguity, but proposed instead a “pink area” symbolizing her efforts to overcome the limitations of her hometown.
For her, turning the border area pink represented her proactive pursuit of educational opportunities while preserving her cultural roots and serving as a bridge between Tay Ninh, Vietnam and the global community.
Tu plans to study economics with one eye on improving her family’s food business and developing business models to boost tourism and employment opportunities in Tay Ninh.
Nguyen Thi Anh Duong, a researcher at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology who wrote a recommendation letter for Tu, calls her intelligent, goal-oriented and proactive.
“She excels, whether in science or social research.”
Tu will leave for the U.S. in fall 2025. She hopes to pursue a doctoral degree after graduation.
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Communications, September 22, 2021
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