To identify myself, I want to see the world!

Tiếng Việt

To identify myself, I want to see the world!

These were the words RMIT fresh graduate Le Nguyen Hoang Yen chokingly uttered to her mother to let her enroll in RMIT three years ago.

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I am a conqueror.

With a heart full of hopes, fears and doubts, the Outstanding Graduate of RMIT Bachelor of Business (International Business) embarked on a new journey at RMIT, not knowing that it would later be one of the best decisions she’s ever made in her life.

“I come from a small fishing town in the south-central Vietnam where life is easy, repetitive and archaic, and people seemingly have a common life’s goal of settling down there, forever,” Yen said.

“As a child growing up, my only wish was to escape the norm and lead a global citizen’s life, one that was so different from mine then. Being raised by a single parent has taught me education is the express ticket to my dream and made me aware of the harsh reality that my mother and I couldn’t afford such luxuries such as overseas studies to fulfill my dream.

“RMIT, to me, was the light at the end of the tunnel at the time.”

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With her mother’s wholehearted support, Bachelor of Business (International Business) graduate Le Nguyen Hoang Yen thrived academically and professionally during her time at RMIT Vietnam.

Her mother wholeheartedly supported her decision. She took loans from a bank to pay for Yen’s tuition fee and Yen had to work as a part-time tutor to help alleviate the living costs.

“It was tough during my first year but once I got the Academic Achievement for Current Students scholarship [for a GPA of 3.93/4.0], things started to get more manageable,” Yen recalled.

“My mother didn’t really express strong emotions [about the scholarship award], she just smiled and said ‘good job’ but that meant so much to me since caring for her and making her happy were my lifelong endeavours.”

Yen’s brave decision brought her to a whole new learning journey where she crossed paths with some of the kindest, most genuine and knowledgeable people.

“It is appropriate to acclaim RMIT as a cradle of brilliance with countless life lessons to be treasured my whole life,” Yen said.

“The most valuable takeaway from my undergraduate journey was to approach all matters from a standpoint of personal development, meaning to reinforce and cultivate perseverance, agility, creativity and fearlessness.”

It was the education and the people at RMIT that gave Yen the courage to identify herself.

“For the first time, I was exposed to many journal articles and academic resources and spent many hours in the library from early mornings to late nights. I was more competitive with myself than I had ever been,” Yen recalled.

Her mindset was constantly foggy due to the fact that she neither came from a gifted school or a notable background and she thought that the only way to prove herself was to achieve excellent scores.

“This caused me to be extremely vulnerable to stress and self-doubt,” Yen admitted,

She shared how she gradually changed her mindset and created momentum for the actual working and studying outcomes.

“Along the way, the more I studied, communicated and worked, the more I realised that the value of education is to help me become a better version of myself and how to apply knowledge I’ve acquired effectively.”

The fresh graduate thought she would be a loner when she first joined RMIT, yet she found a community she cherishes and formed connections that would last a lifetime.

Yen takes much pride in introducing herself as an RMIT student and now a graduate.

“This entitlement is powerful and is a reminder for me to continuously strive for self-betterment adhering to the University’s culture and values of inclusion and innovation,” Yen said.

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As an active Program Tutor for RMIT Vietnam Student Academic Success unit, Le Nguyen Hoang Yen (pictured, first from the right, second row) contributed significantly to the enhancement of the School of Business & Management’s academic standards.

RMIT Head of Management Department Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Trung and Yen’s lecturer praised her for her excellent scholarly abilities and high level of self-discipline, independence and responsibility in work and social life.

“Yen was an active Program Tutor for the Student Academic Success unit, contributing significantly to the enhancement of our School’s academic standards through value-added workshops for business and supply chain courses,” Associate Professor Trung emphasised.

“She sets an exemplary model of successful generations of RMIT graduates by landing a full-time position as a Supply Chain Manager at Procter & Gamble Indochina Ltd. (Binh Duong province), even before the graduation.”

Now holding her newly acquired degree, Yen’s most dominant feeling is gratefulness.

“I'm grateful for my mother whose love and sacrifices are incredible - she is the reason for where I am now, sharing this journey with you.

“I'm grateful for my lecturers, friends and colleagues - they've believed in me more than I've ever believed in myself.

“I'm grateful for myself - for not giving up and to have kept thriving no matter the circumstances,” she said.

To her fellow graduates, Yen wishes them all to have enough bravery and willpower so that “you can open a chapter where you would be amazed at the better things coming your way”.

“RMIT is really a home to me. To those thinking of coming to RMIT, I hope you will join, tailor your stories here and further complete our family.”

Yen was among more than 1,450 fresh graduates of RMIT Vietnam that have celebrated their academic achievements in five ceremonies at RMIT Vietnam Saigon South and Hanoi campuses this week.

Story: Ha Hoang

Business and management

Media Release

14 April 2022