Determined to pursue passion
Duc Thang was admitted to the Artificial Intelligence major at the National Economics University and was honored as one of the 5 valedictorians of the school in 2024.
Duc Thang shared that he had expected it and was not too surprised when he received the news that he was valedictorian.
“Both my parents and I are extremely proud. This title is the result of my efforts throughout my high school years,” the male student added.
Before starting his career in Information Technology, Duc Thang had a special love for Math. He won second prize in Math in the Provincial Excellent Student Competition in 9th grade, then took the entrance exam to the Math major at Hung Vuong High School for the Gifted, Phu Tho.
When he was in 10th grade, the male student unexpectedly signed up for the school's IT team. Sharing about this special change, Duc Thang said: "I have had a passion for IT since 8th grade. However, at that time, I had no idea about my career path if I pursued this field. When I was in high school, I started to learn and determined to pursue IT."
With passion and determination, Duc Thang became a phenomenon when he won second prize at the national level in grade 10. But then, the male student failed in the excellent student exam of Duyen Hai and Dong Bac Bo. Not discouraged, Thang said: "I realized that I was still subjective and not really careful. That setback helped me realize my shortcomings so that I could take further steps forward."
From the experience after the first competitions, Duc Thang successively won the national first prize and the silver medal in both the Asia-Pacific and international Olympiads in Informatics in grade 11.
“I feel lucky to have discovered my passion and my strengths. It was my determination and timely change of direction that helped me achieve results beyond my expectations,” Duc Thang added.
How to overcome boredom with study tips
During the 3 years of focusing on studying for the national team, there were times when Duc Thang felt discouraged and doubted his passion. “When I lacked motivation to study, I often turned to my other interests, especially football.
I often play soccer with my friends in the neighborhood since middle school. During stressful times, I spend time watching a few matches to regain my spirit" - the male student shared.
To achieve great results, the male student from Phu Tho said that setting initial goals is very important. Along with that, interest in learning is also the secret to help him absorb knowledge effectively.
“There were times when I took a whole day, even a whole week off from studying Computer Science. But after I got inspired again, I did my homework very effectively. I always asked myself questions and looked for answers about the phenomena around me. That helped me remember that knowledge deeply” – Duc Thang shared about his studies.
Living away from his family since high school, Duc Thang sometimes lacked emotional support. However, this trained him to be independent and thanks to that, he did not encounter difficulties when he went to university. "Whenever I miss my parents, I often bury myself in studying to forget about them" - Duc Thang confided.
Currently, the male student said he is planning to compete in ICPC, the Student Informatics Olympiad to bring many achievements to the school and at the same time maintain his passion.
“I am improving my foreign language skills to fulfill my dream of studying abroad at the National University of Singapore,” Duc Thang added.
