Ha Tran Cam Tu, a Tay Ninh Province 12th-grade student, has been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Chicago, a top-ranked university globally. The scholarship, worth more than US$100,000 per annum for four years, comes with support for research and summer internships.
Tu, a student at Hoang Le Kha High School for the Gifted, started working toward studying abroad during seventh grade, when she began taking a U.S. online program in addition to Vietnam's national curriculum. She developed her interest in English at an earlier age in elementary school with an English club run by AIESEC.
In spite of the initial denial via the Early Decision route, Tu got her acceptance letter on February 14. "It was a happy day for my entire family", she noted During high school, Tu had an outstanding academic performance with a GPA of more than 9.5, an IELTS of 8.5, and a 1540 SAT score. She was also recognized at the national level, such as receiving an encouragement award in the National Contest for Gifted Students in English and being among the top few placements in the Vietnam Economics Olympiad.
Outside of academics, Tu was involved in extracurricular activities. She assisted in teaching Vietnamese to foreign students, coordinated a summer leadership camp for 200 students in Ho Chi Minh City, and led the media club in her school. She also won first place in the ACCA Futurist competition organized by the UK's Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
In her college essays, Tu described living along the Vietnam-Cambodia border during childhood and seeking to unite her impoverished hometown with the rest of the world. She positively reframed the term 'gray area' as a 'pink area', representing hope, promise, and striving to overcome limitations of place.
Tu plans to study economics with ambitions of growing her family's food business and opening up economic opportunities in Tay Ninh. She wants to pursue a Ph.D. after graduating.
"You don't have to be from a large city or top school to have dreams of studying abroad", she stated. "Anyone who has clear goals and a solid plan can achieve their dreams".
