Class President
I planned birthday surprises, a covert operation where the guest of honor must suspect nothing, a two-day class getaway, a project fueled by endless debates over where to play and what to eat, and many other unexpected events.
On ordinary school days, I flood our class group chat with reminders about schedules and deadlines and help classmates untangle tricky lessons and prepare for exams. Sounds like a mom!
Tet is an adventure in itself. I helped prepare the mâm hoa quả (fruit-and-flower offering tray) and pháo giấy (paper firecracker decorations) for our Chinese-specialized classes, making sure everything was ready by the big day. All that running around paid off: we took home first prize.
Summer Program
LEAP Leadership Foundation,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
My first trip to the United States began with a little adventure: traveling halfway across the world entirely on my own. Having always traveled with my family, I was proud to navigate the airports and make my way to UCLA on my own.
At LEAP, I completed six workshops on leadership and public speaking, surrounded by hundreds of students with wonderfully different backgrounds. I especially enjoyed preparing my self-reflection speech, which was eventually ranked among the program's Top 5 speakers. Speaking onstage in English before such a large audience was nerve-racking, though the experience gave me plenty to celebrate afterward.
One of my favorite experiences came through a networking workshop, where I met MHA Monique Trinh from UCLA's Semel HCI Center. With her mentorship, I worked alongside six peers from four countries to design a need-based pediatric aid model. We examined household treatment expenses, income levels, and insurance gaps to explore how financial assistance could better reach children who needed it most.
Beyond that, I also made friendships that stretched well beyond our week together. I returned to Hanoi with a reflection on Substack (read here!)
BUILD@HUB HACKATHON 2026
Vice Head of Organization
As VP of Operations, I helped coordinate BUILD@HUB’s 48-hour final, managing workshop schedules, competition logistics, venue, and live pitching sessions for young innovators from across Vietnam.
Our challenge invited students to explore how AI could preserve and celebrate Vietnam’s regional cultural heritage. As technology advances so quickly, I found it fascinating to watch students apply it to traditions that have endured for generations. Beyond keeping the event running smoothly, I enjoyed helping create a space where young people could experiment with new technologies while giving their cultural roots a place in the future.
Environment
Head of Logistics
La Perception Project (Gen 7)
At La Perception, I learned how much planning goes into making sustainable living accessible and fun. I helped organize a fundraising fair and an upcycling workshop, guiding participants as they turned everyday waste into handmade crafts. It was lovely seeing materials that might otherwise have been thrown away find a second life in someone's hands.
Gold Medal & Grand Award
Intl. Creative Papers Conference
We experience air pollution every day in Hanoi, but understanding the numbers behind it can be surprisingly difficult. We tailored forecasts to each school's location and timetable, accounting for differences in class hours and pollution exposure throughout the day. This allowed us to develop school-specific recommendations for scheduling outdoor activities and reducing students' exposure to polluted air.
Swimming
Swimmer
Hanoi City School Sports Championship
Volunteer Water-Safety Assistant
Local Swimming Pool
Swimming is my favorite escape from a schedule packed with deadlines and endless group-chat notifications. Once I'm in the water, my biggest concern is making it to the other end of the pool (preferably without running out of breath). I represented my school at the Hanoi City School Sports Championship, where I experienced the excitement of competitive swimming.
Music and Instrument
School
Performances
Self-taught Violin