Nguyen Thi My Ngoc is one of more than 1,000 students awarded the graduation certificate at the end of April 2025 by the University of Science and Technology.
My Ngoc graduated 1 semester early with an excellent degree, majoring in Engineering Physics, majoring in Medical Engineering with a GPA of 3.6/4.
She has achieved many outstanding achievements such as being awarded the Vietnam Science and Technology Female student award in 2024; 5 outstanding Central-level students in 2024, 5 outstanding students for 2 consecutive years at the city level in 2023-2024,...
However, behind that impressive achievement, few people know that she is in unstable health, with only 1 kidney left due to congenital polycystic kidney disease, requiring amputation of her left kidney since she was 3 years old.
And the memory of being cared for by doctors and medical staff inspired Ngoc to want to work in the medical and health care industry. With her mother's guidance, Ngoc chose the Biotechnology industry as a way to fulfill her childhood wish and satisfy her curiosity.
Ngoc shared that since she was a student at Gia Dinh High School (HCMC), she has actively participated in extracurricular activities to practice soft skills. She was a member of the photography club, participating in communication activities and volunteering to teach English to children at SOS Children's Village Vietnam. Those experiences help My Ngoc better understand herself, know her passion and abilities.
Right from her first year of university, My Ngoc has built a detailed study plan through a Google Sheet file called Study Plan, helping her proactively increase the number of credits per semester. Not only to shorten studying time and graduate early, her goal is also to reduce the financial burden on her mother - who is always a strong supporter.
"A semester according to the correct route only takes about 14-15 credits, but I usually register for up to 17 credits, and study extra classes in the summer," Ngoc said.
My Ngoc shared that she does not fixed specific subjects for each semester, but considers planning as a game of "filling in the blanks". And registering for classes is a "survival game" because many subjects are only taught once a year.
In addition, an important factor that helps Ngoc maintain good academic results is her ability to manage personal time and energy. Ngoc often finds out the content of the lesson in advance, actively studies in class, then does exercises or reviews after school. Thanks to that, Ngoc has access to each knowledge at least 3 times, helping to review for the exam more effectively without being forced. At the same time, Ngoc always prioritizes getting enough sleep and having fun, because she knows her health is not good.
My Ngoc said: "Around the middle of my second year, I had a heart rhythm problem, while my study schedule was quite busy - there were days when I studied continuously for 10 hours from 7am to 6pm. Therefore, I arrange a reasonable review time per week to avoid being overloaded during project preparation, testing or testing stages".
Regarding her plan after graduation, Ngoc said that she will study abroad to gain more experience and resources, and continue to participate in in-depth research.
Associate Professor, Dr. Do Ngoc Son - Head of the Electrical Physics laboratory (HCMC School of Technology), commented that My Ngoc is a very enthusiastic student, proactively participating in scientific research activities.
"Ngoc is in the top 2% of the most excellent students of the department. I strongly support Ngoc's study abroad and hope she will develop her abilities better," said Associate Professor, Dr. Do Ngoc Son.
