(HBO) – Dinh Ngoc Thao, a female student of the Ethnic Minority Boarding High School of Hoa Binh province, obtained 10 marks in history and geography in the National High School Exam. Thao, a girl from the Muong ethnic minority group, also scored 9.4, 8.75, 9.5 and 9.6 in mathematics, literature, civics and English, respectively. With the national university entrance examination for the People's Public Security Academy, her result was 31.5 points. Thao’s achievements were attributable to her own tireless efforts to keep her promise to the deceased older brother.

Dinh Ngoc Thao has spent most of her time on studying and doing homework.

 When heard about her scores at the National High School Exam, we came to meet Thao in Nam Hoa 2 hamlet, Xuat Hoa commune (Lac Son district). While on the way, we learned about her circumstance.

 According to her teacher Bui Thi Bich Thuy, Thao has a special circumstance. Her mother is a teacher and her father is a driver. A couple of years ago, her older brother, called Tung, a second-year student at the Police College, encountered a traffic accident on way to his friend’s birthday party and died from severe brain injury. The tragedy shook her entire family, her mother kept crying while her farther usually sat in silence.

 At that time, Thao was a 9thgrader. A month later, she passed the entrance exam to the provincial Ethnic Minority Boarding High School. Thao was an energetic student. She always listened with concentration to teachers’ explanation of lessons and studied hard at home.

 Unlike my imagination, Thao is a girl of few words and only smiles when being asked. Telling us why she chose to take the entrance exam to the People's Public Security Academy, Thao said she and her brother both dreamt of becoming a police officer to safeguard peaceful lives of people.

 Regarding her study experience, she said: "As each subject has broad knowledge, I often learned from and shared experience with my friends. With social subjects like history and geography, I could not remember every single lesson, so I used a mind map method to understand their cores. This method requires concentration during class to listen, note down and summarize main contents.”

 "For natural subjects, I tried to look for faster ways to solve the puzzles, apart from available approaches. The most important thing is to really remember these solutions and apply them effectively,” she stressed.

 What surprised me most about the outstanding student is her multitalented skills. She is not only a "bookworm”, but also a master of housework. Dinh Van Thanh, Thao’s farther, said she built some works for their home every summer. He showed me a rock-garden at the front door, which was made by his daughter. "She built it by her own, from the cement pond to decorations. Last year, Thao made a set of table and chairs from cement and helped me build a henhouse,” Thanh said proudly.

 

                                             Viet Lam  

 

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