Living student life to the fullest

Tiếng Việt

Living student life to the fullest

Three fresh graduates from RMIT recall their personal growth by being immersed in the University’s vibrant community of student clubs.

Creating social impact

Honoured as the Outstanding Graduate of the Bachelor of Business (International Business) program this year, Nguyen Vu Thuy Duong used to be a reserved person who did not participate in many extracurricular activities in high school.

“With the belief that joining a club would be beneficial, I took all of my confidence and registered for the Business Club when I started at RMIT,” Duong recalled.

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Nguyen Vu Thuy Duong (pictured in a black shirt, fifth from left) valued the chance to organise multiple charity events during her term as president of the RMIT Hanoi Business Club.

The leap of courage paid off as Duong was elected club president, and together with her club mates, won the “Academic Club of the Semester” recognition twice during her presidency.

Duong was especially appreciative of the chance to organise multiple charity events, including the “Sharing is Caring” event, which raised a notable amount of funds for the Birla Orphan Children’s Village in Hanoi.

“Nothing could compare to the heart-warming feeling of visiting and handing gifts to the kids and watching them smile. It fuelled my desire to contribute more to social causes”, she said.

A leader in the making

An International Business graduate with distinction, Nguyen Minh Dang Khoa is often known in RMIT’s Saigon South campus as the founder and former president of the Mass Media Club.

Khoa proposed his idea for the club at a pitching session with the Student Life Department even before he became an official student of the university.

“The idea of a club where students from the Digital Media, Professional Communication, Design and even Business programs can come together and unleash their creativity was something that burned brightly inside me, and I knew I had to do everything to kickstart it,” Khoa recalled.

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Nguyen Minh Dang Khoa (pictured right) graduated with distinction from the Bachelor of Business (International Business) program and was the founder and president of the RMIT Mass Media Club.

Khoa’s journey with his club was filled with lots of excitement, some tough challenges, and most importantly, long-lasting lessons of leading with both humility and assertiveness.

“My biggest takeaways from my time as club president are the connections I made with people and the club’s mission. The support and guidance of the Student Life mentors and my fellow club members combined with RMIT’s ‘Get Ready for Life and Work’ slogan has motivated me to be the strong leader I am at the end of this journey,” said Khoa.

Navigating self-expression

Unlike Khoa and Duong, Nguyen Khanh Ha pursued a degree in Professional Communication. She served as the president of the Hanoi Music Club and represented RMIT as a delegate at the 2019 University Scholars Leadership Symposium in Malaysia.

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Nguyen Khanh Ha (pictured near the centre with the ‘heart’ hand gesture) learned how to efficiently communicate and become more confident by joining the RMIT Hanoi Music Club.

Ha’s role as club president came with responsibilities that gave her a chance to step out of her comfort zone and discover her untapped potential. She learned how to efficiently communicate and become more confident.

“If you meet me today, you’ll probably see a happy girl confidently chatting with the people around her. Although I consider myself a social butterfly, that wasn’t always the case. I bet you would never recognise the quiet and timid girl that I used to be,” Ha said.

Ha is glad that as she takes on internships and job placements, she has been able to use her club experience as a competitive advantage.

“It might seem like ‘just a student club’ to some people but being a part of the Music Club helped me gain numerous valuable skills that are transferable to a wide variety of industries,” Ha said.

RMIT University boasts around 60 student-run clubs and societies in Vietnam, covering a range of sports, cultural, business, community, recreation, and social interests. Find out more here.

Story: Ananya Mangwani and Ngoc Hoang