FIRST GRADE

I recall it vividly the first day I officially stepped foot, passing the school’s gate of my first class day ever. I was excited days before that Monday because I thought it would be a trip on vacation. However, when my dad released his hand and started to fade away, leaving me with my first ever teacher and friends I had never seen before, I began to panic and burst into tears, demanding my father. However, after having a hard time, my teacher successfully calmed me down by handing me a teddy bear.

 SECOND GRADE

As an active person since a young age and as the head of the class, I participated in every class and school activity. At the annual school dance, with no hesitation, I raised my hand when my teacher asked who would like to be in the class dance group with the reward of candy for participating. I remembered we didn’t achieve any prizes, but it seemed like I didn’t care much at that moment.

THIRD GRADE 

I stood at the center of the stage as the spotlight shined at my face. I was nervous, hearing the heart beating that seemed to make me zone out. Reminisced back to kindergarten, my memories sprang to my mind vividly once I stated in front of people, “ I would sing “ Ca Nha Thuong Nhau”- a Vietnamese singer. I closed my eyes, pouring my soul out into the lyrics in the hope of receiving audience applause. When I sang the last notes, my parents surprisingly went to the stage to give me a huge flower, showing satisfaction clearly in their face’s expressions. “ We are proud of you, my son.” 

FOURTH GRADE

Besides dancing and singing, I considered myself an athlete at that time with my great passion for soccer. We would go out to the hard cement play yard and have a full of swear matches with a plastic soccer ball at noon during recess. We were competitive kids as the team who lost had to do whatever the other team members commanded in one day. As a result, I broke my leg after dribbling the ball and getting a full two legs tackle from the fattiest boy during a match.

FIFTH GRADE

As I made my way down the long airport corridor, it was like I had jumped 20 years into

the future; standing before me was a novel piece of equipment I had never seen before. I stood in

awe as I watched the robotic metal box devouring its customer’s 200 Japanese Yen bill before

regurgitating the crisp, ice-cold Coca-Cola. When I arrived in Tokyo that day for the international math competition, it was my first time seeing what I now know is called “a vending machine.” It was my first time being in a foreign country, participating in an international competition.

SIXTH GRADE 

On my first day, I felt like being a self-centered person for the first time who drew attention from many curious eyes of the old students in my class. They started to look me up and down and gossip behind my back. The fierce glint was such an inconvenient experience that I hadn’t undergone before in my old school. At that moment, I was just aware that life wasn’t just a bowl of cherries as I expected. I felt like I drowned in the oceans with ferocious sharks surrounding me, and I also didn’t even know how to seek help. I am different.

SEVENTH GRADE

After a series of days of loneliness, “When we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”- Victor’s Frank was the lesson I truly understood. Admittedly, adapting to the new environment is inevitable. Instead of running away from reality, I must embrace and flow it. ​​Soon I started to feel more valued at school, as people began coming to me for fashion advice rather than to make a snide comment. But as my social circle expanded, my grades took a toll. The countless days spent on YouTube watching fashion shows decreased the time I should have been spending on solving math problems. The day I received my semester grade report, I could not believe that someone who always put her grades first now barely passed his classes. I had changed for the worse.

EIGHTH GRADE

The third time back to the Internation Math Competition, I was no less furious than my first Japan trip. This time, it was held in the U.S, the land of the dreamers. This trip contributed a lot to my future education path as I was in love with the beautiful and highly developed country. I have immersed myself in breathtaking landscapes. 

NINTH GRADE: 

I participated in The Connected We, which runs anti-bullying and anti-school violence programs. I began studying mental health problems through that club, particularly in people who do not know how to deal with their issues and confront their fears. Since then, I have wanted to work on enhancing people’s well-being. Mental health plays a vital role in people’s healthy growth, which is a severe issue in Vietnam. The Vietnamese public is not sophisticated about how to overcome mental health problems.

TENTH GRADE: 

 I was brooding and taciturn. Though I was not an outstanding student with straight A scores in transcripts like my peers, I was obsessed with academic achievement. Which meant I always felt overwhelmed and exhausted and burdened with homework. The purpose of studying for me back in those days was to boost my confidence and ego; I did not want to be left behind academically by my friends at school. This mindset was causing me nightmares and filling me with jealousy, a bit like a villain straight out of fairytales. I would never have escaped these toxic thoughts if my brother, Simon, had not come into my life.

ELEVENTH GRADE: 

To learn is to grow and the best lesson one can ever get is failure. In my junior year, I became the captain of my school’s soccer team. We made it to the state championship game a strong group like we are. The expectations were high, and our pressure was expected to perform our best. However, we lost the final match 2-1 to everyone’s disappointment. I was furious, for I knew we were capable of much more. I held one of my teammate’s jerseys, accusing him of making us lose the game. The tension was intense among my teammates, vying for who to blame. I failed as a leader, and I failed as a member as I started a conflict between my teammates and failed to realize that we shared victories and failures as a team.

TWELFTH GRADE: 

In Vietnam, there is a diversity of landscapes and other artwork missing in the news media and social media platforms. I genuinely believe in the power of art to change the world and make a significant difference in our lives. I, therefore, decided to create a website with other young Vietnamese people who share this same passion for art. I called it: The Chamoline. Working together on the website, we, as a team, learned and grew. Being part of this small and fun team, I nearly forgot the world outside was struggling with a pandemic. We built a strong work community through collaborative skills around a virtual medium. There were, of course, frustrating moments with zoom, but with patience and humor, we marched on. Sometimes, clashes of viewpoints erupted, yet in the spirit of inclusive and open-minded teamwork, we could iron out differences. Since a tree does not make a forest, I piloted my club by insisting we stick together like broomsticks. Thanks to many ups and downs, I grew more independent and mature, reaching my best version of myself each day passed.