In the recent high school graduation exam, Vi Thi Thao (student of Nghe An Ethnic Boarding School No. 2) was one of 7 ethnic minority students with high scores in the Natural Science exam and was commended by Nghe An province.

Dream of becoming a doctor

In a simple stilt house in Kem Don village, Tri Le border commune (Que Phong district, Nghe An province), Vi Thi Thao shared that only education can help her escape poverty. The Thai student is the eldest of three siblings. Like many other families in the village, Thao's family lives on the fields and plantations all year round. To support Thao and her siblings in their studies, Thao's parents have to go to Laos every day to earn a living. However, poverty and hardships continue to haunt them. After years of trying to make a living, Thao's family still cannot escape poverty.

After finishing secondary school at the district boarding school, Thao passed the entrance exam to Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2. Due to poor family circumstances, Thao's sisters all studied at provincial and district boarding schools. Following in the footsteps of her eldest sister, Thao's younger sister is currently studying at a provincial boarding school, and her youngest brother is studying at a district boarding school.

Thao studies all subjects but her passion is still Math. Outside of class, she studies on her own in the morning, noon, afternoon and evening. Thao confided: “My parents got married when they were 16. My mother is only 38 this year but she works hard and looks much older. I see my mother suffering so much that I tell myself and am determined to study as well as I can.”

And the efforts of the poor Thai female student were duly rewarded with the result that for 12 consecutive years she was an excellent student and enrolled in Hanoi Medical University, Thanh Hoa branch, to realize her dream.

Thao said that on the day she went to Vinh city to attend the province's commendation ceremony, her whole family "escorted" her down to share the joy. "My mother and siblings have never been to Vinh before, so they took advantage of this opportunity to go with us. When we went down there, my family took the opportunity to visit Uncle Ho's statue and his hometown," Thao confided.

“ Thao is quiet and reserved, but she is hardworking, eager to learn and strives to improve every day. She is a good student, studying all subjects well. In the mock exams held at school, Thao always got high scores, was praised by the province and was admitted to medical school, which is a worthy reward for her efforts to overcome difficulties,” said Ms. Tran Thi Lien - homeroom teacher of class 12A1, Nghe An Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2.

The whole village has only 3-4 people going to college.

In addition to learning about Vi Thi Thao’s journey to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, we also learned that Kem Don village, Tri Le commune, where she was born and raised, is 100% Thai. The lives of the people here are difficult. Most young people go to the city or industrial zones to find work after finishing school.

When they heard that Thao had passed the entrance exam to the Hanoi Medical University, Thanh Hoa branch, everyone in Kem Don village was happy. They were happy because there were very few people in the village who passed the university entrance exam. If Thao was included, the whole village only had 3-4 people who could attend university because not everyone had enough points to be admitted. Thao was also the first child from this poor village to be admitted to the General Practitioner program at the Hanoi Medical University, Thanh Hoa branch.

“When I was 12, I was a bit hesitant between choosing to be a teacher or a doctor, but I saw that in the village there were several women studying teacher training and one woman studying pharmacy, so I thought that our village was lacking doctors, so I decided to pursue medicine. After researching, I found that the school I registered to study at had a 100% tuition exemption policy for children from poor households, so I chose to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. Moreover, my grandmother is often sick, so I want to become a doctor so that I can treat her myself in the future,” Thao shared.

From a poor village to medical school is not an easy journey, many difficulties and challenges await the poor Thai female student, but with her efforts and determination, Vi Thi Thao will certainly fulfill her dream of returning to help her fellow countrymen.