Alumni wins at Harvard Conference in Hong Kong

Alumni wins at Harvard Conference in Hong Kong

RMIT Vietnam graduate Pham Ngoc Bao Tran and her team have won first place in a competition at last month’s Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) 2016 Asia conference.

Split into five distinct tracks during the event, delegates formed teams to compete in an Impact Challenge, which Tran’s team won in the Entrepreneurship and Technology category, successfully solving a real-life case study set by global ICT solutions provider HUWAEI. The case study was based on the practical applications of 5G technology and the Internet of Things.

“Our concept was called 24/7 Safety and Emergency IoT service solution,” Tran explained, “the idea of which was to enable users to contact available emergency responders via the Internet of Things, no matter where they are.”

The Bachelor of Business (Marketing) graduate said it was the research skills gained while studying at RMIT Vietnam and the integration of technology into every course that helped her succeed at the conference.

Tran (third from left) and other HPAIR delegates awarded for winning their Entrepreneurship and Technology Impact Challenge. Tran (third from left) and other HPAIR delegates awarded for winning their Entrepreneurship and Technology Impact Challenge.

More than just an opportunity to inspire students, HPAIR was about creating new futures, and bringing together young leaders from around the region to discuss the sustainable development of Asia. In addition to Entrepreneurship and Technology, other tracks at the conference included Environment and Sustainability, Humanitarian Affairs, Governance and Diplomacy, and Business and the World Economy.

“It went beyond my expectations,” Tran said of the conference.

“From speaking to the people I met, and listening to the amazing contributors and delegates, I’ve realised how much my conservative goal-setting approach in the past was limiting my true potential.”

Some of the 500 HPAIR Asia conference delegates pose for a group photo. Some of the 500 HPAIR Asia conference delegates pose for a group photo.

Honoured to be chosen from among thousands of applicants, Tran said the moment she received her letter from Harvard was one she wouldn’t forget, and paid tribute to the support she got from her RMIT Vietnam lecturers.

“My former teachers offered me tremendous support throughout the whole process,” she said, “so I really have to thank RMIT for that.”

Now working in brand management at L’Oreal, where she began as an RMIT intern, Tran said the conference was an experience she never thought she would have and looks forward to a time when even more Vietnamese can be represented at the event.

Held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the conference welcomed distinguished speakers and influencers from across business, politics and community. This year HPAIR’s five-day program was themed ‘Empower’ and included keynotes from 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Tawakkol Karman, Rwandan genocide survivor Daniel Trust and International Master Chef Martin Yan.

Story: Jon Aspin

26 September 2016

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