Tran Anh Minh

Vietnam, 2006–07

With outstanding academic performance in high school, I was welcome to Hanoi University of Technology. I majored in Electronics and Telecommunications, the field up to now had gained a lot of breakthroughs in the world but had been still young in Vietnam.

My name is Tran Anh Minh. I was born in Nghe An province, Vietnam in 1988. I grew up and spent all my schooling time in my homeland. Even when I was a little pupil at primary school, natural knowledge attracted me a lot. Therefore, after finishing junior school, I decided to specialize in Mathematics at the Phan Boi Chau, a gifted high school of my province. Three years of high school is the most beautiful and significant time in my life. As a student who specialized in Math, I had spent a lot of time to study Math, which was my biggest passion at that moment. Consequently, I achieved two Prizes of National Mathematics Olympiad. Moreover, with the guidance of my teacher, I had established a book about Math with the hope that it can help Math become more interesting and easier for students.

Besides learning, I also paid a great deal of time for my music passion, Rock. When I was in Grade 11, my friends and I had set up a Rock band to perform in the school. After intensive time in class, I often play with the band to relax and refresh my self. Besides those, as a lead singer and composer of the band, I learned quite lots useful lessons about teamwork, time management as well as leadership skills.

As mentioned above, I love Math and I had previously dreamed that I would become a mathematician. I was always certain that after I finished High School, I would apply to study at a Math School in University. However, I approached my teacher to ask his opinion and he advised me that, although being a mathematician is an interesting occupation and will offer exciting challenges, at the present my country does not need more Math theorems. Instead, what Vietnam is now lacking is Technology: new technology for Industrial and Economic Development. The Vietnamese industry is really in crying out for talented engineers with an innovative perspective. I spent a lot of time pondering this, until finally I decided to follow my teacher’s wisdom. I will become an engineer and be equipped to contribute more towards my country’s development.

With outstanding academic performance in high school, I was welcome to Hanoi University of Technology. I majored in Electronics and Telecommunications, the field up to now had gained a lot of breakthroughs in the world but had been still young in Vietnam. With the money from GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders Program, I got off the worry about financial problems and concentrate on my study. Moreover, the program helped me strengthen my soft-skills and widen my networking significantly. Therefore, I become more confident in the communication with people, and I organized and drove social activities more effectively than before. Other luckiness that program give to me is a stable friendship. In the seminar, I and the nine other GE Foundation Scholar-Leaders had a wonderful time together, through which we knew and made friends with each others. I had gotten from them a lot of advice and sharing. They are extremely nice friends!