Le Tan Dien won a full YSEALI scholarship by telling a story about his social activism journey. It is a story about gender equality.

Confidently tell your story

Le Tan Dien will go to the US to participate in the YSEALI Academic Fellowship program. YSEALI is a scholarship of the US Government, for young people in the ASEAN bloc. Tan Dien said that he is a person who likes to travel and learn, and at the same time spends some time learning about scholarships. During that time, he came across a lot of information and stories about YSEALI on newspapers and social networks. From there, Tan Dien learned more about the content, requirements and purposes of the program and decided to apply for the YSEALI scholarship. At the same time, during his university years, the young man had the opportunity to participate in many volunteer programs and community activities. “The opportunity came when I started to co-found a social project to carry out the mission of creating good values ​​for the community. This is also one of the missions of YSEALI. I want to come to the program to learn more knowledge and skills, find more resources to develop myself and my project, thereby bringing more value to my own community,” Dien shared. Tan Dien chose to tell stories about his social activities on the issue of gender equality and diversity in Vietnam to win over the judges. He believes that finding a unique story for himself is the most fundamental and important step in a YSEALI profile. This helps the selection committee know who the candidate is, understand the candidate’s abilities and efforts better. “Since I was a child, I have seen the scars - the problems caused by gender discrimination and prejudice, I have always gravitated towards equality. I understand that it all comes from the lack of full and accurate access to sex education. Growing up, I have tried to soothe those scars through studying, researching, and determinedly participating in training sessions, exchange programs, conferences, and seminars on that topic to move towards a noble goal,” Dien said, adding: “When talking about those journeys, I also do not forget to mention the difficulties and lessons I have gained, the friends I have met, and the help from those around me. All of these have created my own story.” Continuing the journey, Tan Dien and like-minded friends founded Savour - a non-profit social organization to raise awareness of gender equality and gender diversity in Vietnam, contributing to creating a sustainable, safe and respectful community for all individuals to freely develop and express themselves. Savour provides information, knowledge and stories about gender equality and diversity. At the same time, it organizes sharing sessions, workshops, competitions and exhibitions to contribute positively to the community.

Don't be afraid to talk about your flaws.

The purpose of YSEALI is to train and develop young leaders, so Tan Dien advised young people not to hesitate to talk about their shortcomings. Dien believes that telling stories about difficulties, mistakes and failures will help you become more mature and thereby make more meaningful contributions. “Showing that you have many shortcomings, that you have much to learn and develop is an important factor. No one is too perfect and if there is a perfect person, they will not be able to learn and gain much value from the program,” the male student said. Tan Dien added that in the process of preparing documents, the biggest difficulty is keeping the spirit up. Applying for any scholarship is a long journey, requiring perseverance from the candidate. The process of preparing documents and preparing for interviews will be stressful, keeping an optimistic spirit and believing in your own abilities is very important. “I overcame those times with the support of my family and friends. I always shared my feelings and thoughts on each stage of my journey to YSEALI with my family and from there received a lot of encouragement and sharing,” Dien said, adding that his current achievements, in addition to his own efforts, also come from the care and support of many people who have accompanied and helped him. Sharing about his future plans, after completing the YSEALI program in the US, Tan Dien will continue to look for other opportunities to study and exchange to expand his knowledge, improve his skills, and satisfy his passion for traveling and seeing the world. “I will still focus on developing and expanding Savour with the desire to implement more programs, reach more diverse audiences, and help more individuals in society,” Dien said. Tan Dien was particularly impressed with the mother's quote in the movie Cinderella: "Have courage and be kind". "As an individual living in society, I think the most important thing is kindness. I always remind myself to use kindness to treat people around me, be kind to life and you will receive more kindness in return. In my studies, work and life, I always try to remember and apply this quote", Dien said. Through the above quote, Tan Dien sent young people a source of motivation, with each journey, be brave to open your mind and heart, to accept new things. You can only be truly happy, enjoy and learn by opening your heart and mind.