Trinh Pham Hai Linh, 34, has just returned to Vietnam after a period of working at the Department of Technology and Innovation in the Mayor's Office in Boston in the US. She studied for her bachelor's degree in the UK and graduated with a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

With an impressive profile, Linh surprises many when talking about her "thorny" journey before reaching MIT.

Linh was a former student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in HCM City, a very famous high school in Vietnam. Finishing high school, she enrolled in the Interior Decoration Faculty of the HCM City University of Architecture as suggested by her parents. But she failed the entrance exam to the school.

Nursing a complex about her failure, Linh quietly registered for a vocational course, avoiding the question "which university did you get into?" from people around her. She then studied graphic design three evenings a week, while spending her daytime studying drawing to re-apply to the University of Architecture.

"The only thing that helped me get through that period was my determination to pursue my plan. After a year, I passed the entrance exam to the school," Linh recalled.

Though she got into her desired university, Linh gradually realized that the field was not suitable for her. When entering her second university year, she started doubting her future career. 

At that time, she participated in a seminar organized by the Vietnam Department of Planning and Hamburg University (Germany). Thanks to her proficiency in English, German students introduced Linh to their professor who then allowed her to join his research team. 

The professor was very impressed with Linh's team's work and advised her to switch to the planning field. He promised to write a recommendation letter if she decided to study abroad.

"For someone who had never traveled more than 500 kilometers from HCMC like me, the decision to drop out and start anew in a foreign country with limited finances was incredibly risky. But for me, the goal was much clearer and bigger than any potential difficulties," Linh recalled.

Linh submitted her application and was accepted to Oxford Brookes University in the UK with a 50 percent scholarship. Witnessing Linh’s efforts and seriousness, her family and relatives agreed to lend her VND600 million to cover her educational expenses for four years.

The four years in the UK were “the most challenging time of her life.”

“I took many part-time jobs to cover tuition and living expenses such as working in a restaurant, being a student ambassador, a faculty secretary, working night shifts at the dormitory, and tutoring in graphic design,” she recalled.

During summer holiday, she cleaned dormitories and led tourist tours in Oxford. Since the third year, she took three or four jobs at the same time, while still going to school. 

“I once became depressed and contracted tuberculosis, feeling like I could not overcome the pressures,” Linh recalled.

Through sheer determination, she earned an honours degree and was awarded the Best Student in Planning by the Royal Town Planning Institute of the UK.

After graduation, Linh still harbored hopes of traveling the world. She decided to pursue a master's degree and aimed to secure a full scholarship at one of the world's top 10 universities.

From 2016 to 2021, she applied to many schools, and often faced rejections when applying for scholarships. But finally, Linh succeeded with a Fulbright scholarship.

In 2021, Linh applied for several top universities. In March 2022, she received news from MIT, informing her of her acceptance.

MIT was her final choice after being accepted to a series of prestigious institutions like Cambridge University, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and more.

In May 2024, Linh graduated from MIT with a master's degree. Afterwards, she worked in the Department of Technology and Innovation in Boston before deciding to return to Vietnam to start her own ventures.

It took her eight years to get her undergraduate degree, plus five more years and dozens of scholarship rejections before she reached MIT. 

Linh says she believes the key strategy was to "believe in herself" and never give up.

Thuy Nga