Becoming a double valedictorian after years of ‘underdog’

But 23-year-old Nguyen Bao Lam in Hanoi has shown that the teacher’s judgment is wrong. On September 7, Lam was one of four double-graduated students who were honored by the Hanoi People’s Committee. “When I think about it, I have a hard time believing my journey to become a better student,” shared Lam.

In the later years of high school, Lam was always overwhelmed by the environment and intensity of studying at school. “Around me, there are all the perfect friends, the teachers’ mascot. Sometimes I still feel guilty, or because I am poor, there are very few friends,” remembers Lam.

The teacher, who knew Lam’s mother, advised her to consider entering the History or Geography classes instead of the Math, Physics and English classes. However, my mother hid Lam, so that I could be sure to do my best to study at my favorite high school. Encouraged by his family, during the entrance examination to the Higher School of Foreign Languages ​​and Hanoi Normal University, Lam passed the English class at both schools.

Male students continue to take the 10th grade public high school exam and pass Thang Long High School, the second-highest scoring school in Hanoi that year. Lam chose Thang Long and did not attend specialized schools. Explaining this, he confided: “I am afraid of the pressure of studying at a magnet school, which has made me feel self-conscious in high school. I want to develop holistically, without deviating from education and Thang Long High School is the place to be. correct. very adequate “.

Having gained momentum since studying for his high school exams, Lam tried to keep up during his high school years. When it comes to choosing a university, the boys do not take as long as you because they are a “child of race” in the field of construction. Grandfather Lam is one of the first general builders in Vietnam, commanding the construction of the Ham Rong and Thang Long bridges, and his father is a teacher of bridge and road construction.

Lam grew up on their stories from the days they contributed to the monumental building. Lam’s biggest regret is that when he was able to understand what he said, hear more stories about his career through his colleagues, he was no longer there.

Because he was educated and encouraged from an early age, Lam wanted to continue his father and career, decided to take the entrance exam to the University of Transportation, Transportation Engineering and achieved 25 points from block A01 (Mathematics, Li, English ) and became the best entrance student.

While studying strong family careers, the male student receives professional help from his father and many colleagues. However, Lam always wondered how to assert himself, not in anyone’s shadow.

By the end of his freshman year, Lam was tired of facing more pressure and the strictest judgment of all. Realizing that his parents no longer controlled him as much as when he was in high school, the student began to “drop out” of school. “I let myself learn, do and play something else,” Lam said. Two months of neglect, Lam’s achievements waned, his parents gradually noticed something unusual and asked him why.

After being discovered by his family and repeatedly called by the teacher to speak in class, but unable to respond, Lam became afraid. “I was lazy to study for just two months, but it was enough that I didn’t understand anything when I came back. At that time, the final exam was only a few weeks away,” Lam recalled. Male students ask their friends for help, after class they go to the library, study in groups on weekends at home or in the cafeteria.

For homework subjects, the most effective way to study is to practice a lot, ask questions for the teachers in class because they are so busy and cannot answer at night. Lam has the advantage of memorizing fairly quickly, so memorization topics don’t make it difficult for her. In a few weeks, Lam was back on the “race track”, completing the second year of his freshman year with a score of 3.97 / 4.

Considering that he is relatively introverted, Lam did not participate in many contests and activities in over 4 years of college but focused on academic research, winning two consecutive first awards for student scientific research in the 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 school years. In the graduation project, the student chooses the theme Design of a bridge over a certain cross section of a river, carried out entirely in English.

Despite gaining knowledge during an internship at a Japanese company and being presented with some specialized documents by the professor, Lam still struggles with 14 project drawings. The child spends half the time completing these section drawings to make them more detailed and satisfying. With elaborate preparation and confident demeanor when giving presentations, Lam received a 9.8 / 10 point for the project, finished 4.5 years of college with 3.82 / 4, became the best college Transportation exit student.

Having achieved high achievements and maintained their academic performance for many years, others sometimes express doubts about their abilities. “I cannot be a hundred members of the family and believe what I have done and I will do enough to affirm myself and erase everyone’s doubts,” Lam said.

Dr. Nguyen Van Hau, Professor of the Bridges and Tunnels course at the University of Transportation, accompanied Lam for three semesters and was also a professor of scientific research topics and graduate projects. Mr. Hau shared that Lam was not a student who was focused on learning from the beginning, but rather conscientious and changed a lot. In class, Lam wasn’t active, nor did he argue with the teacher, but he was pretty quiet, quiet, but once he spoke, he was sure. “Lam has an intrinsic capacity and a great resilience, once he has determined what to do, he will do it,” Hau said.

Boy became double valedictorian after years of ‘losing’

Currently, Lam has become a Professor of Building Materials at the University of Transportation and is currently in the process of visiting and studying for a master’s degree. Looking back at more than four years of college, Lam shared that the most unfortunate thing is that he did not give much importance to many subjects, thinking that after not doing this field, he did not pay attention to it. When he went to work, the young man looked different, saying that life has many twists and turns and perhaps he will work related to discouraged topics. “If we study well from the beginning, I think everyone will be less strenuous when they go to work,” Lam said.

Speaking of his long-term plan, Lam plans to study further in Japan, where facilities and high qualifications in the field of bridge and road construction will return to Vietnam. “I want to teach to share the knowledge acquired with the students and, at the same time, help them to believe in their abilities. Because more than anyone, I understand that being trusted and encouraged by teachers How great is the motivation for students,” said Lam .

Thanh hang