RMIT scholarship winner strives to help others find their voice

Tiếng Việt

RMIT scholarship winner strives to help others find their voice

Nineteen-year-old Nguyen Thanh Vinh understands what it’s like to feel isolated because of bullying and discrimination.

Nguyen Thanh Vinh (pictured right) with RMIT Head of Hanoi Campus Phillip Dowler.

As one of this year’s RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Scholars, Vinh sees an opportunity to take on a leadership role at the University, and use his own experiences growing up to encourage others to stand up for not only themselves, but also those who cannot stand on their own.

“That is why freedom has always been my inner motivation in life,” he said. “Freedom is not just about being able to make our own choices but also being our authentic selves and embracing our uniqueness.”

As a high school student, Vinh tried to support events that empowered young people to speak honestly about their experiences without the fear of being judged, and to listen more to the opinions of others.

TEDxBaTrieuSt 2018 and the Vietnam Innovation Summit 2018 were Vinh’s first experiences achieving this, where, despite being the youngest team member in both projects, he led the media sponsor relations and speaker relations.

Also in 2018, Vinh led the organising committee of Teen Entrepreneur, one of the first and biggest entrepreneurial contests organised for high-school students in the North of Vietnam.

“Through those projects, I had the opportunity to truly speak my mind, to be heard and to lead. I could create an atmosphere of empathy where everyone was free to express themselves.”

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It was RMIT’s commitment to global citizenship and empowering people of all social and economic backgrounds that inspired Vinh to first want to study at the University. However, his plans had to take a detour initially.

After his first attempt to earn a full scholarship at RMIT failed last year, Vinh enrolled to study International Politics and Diplomacy at a university in Hanoi, where he was named the Leader of the Class of 2023.

“The position exposed me to international platforms which made me more aware of people’s lives across the world and the financial inequality that still exists everywhere.

“The realisation motivated my second attempt to apply for a full scholarship at RMIT. I believe that the opportunities to be a proponent of change at RMIT are not limited to the borders of Vietnam and I can raise my voice on a global ground,” Vinh said.

Vinh has just started his Bachelor of Business (Economics and Finance) program at RMIT’s Hanoi campus as one of the eight recipients of the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship this year.

The switch to a business major stemmed from his wish to get a deep understanding of the international financial markets and workforce - knowledge that Vinh believes will help him create substantial changes to the lives of low-income families and disadvantaged youths.

“I believe that we are living not just to exist for now but to be timeless, and our timeless legacy has to go with actions for the betterment of our society,” Vinh said.

“That is why I choose to dedicate my time to organisations and projects that empower people to lead, to take risks, and make their own marks in the world”.

Story: Ngoc Hoang

Business and management

Campus and community

30 October 2020