Tran Nam Thai, a student at the Olympia Schools in Hanoi, has recently gained admission to seven US universities, all ranked in the top 100. Notably, Fordham University awarded him a scholarship of over $200,000 (roughly VND5 billion).

“Fordham is my choice because I believe its program will sharpen my financial thinking. Plus, being in New York City, the global finance center, will let me connect with industry experts,” Thai said.

Inspired by his father’s business stories and practical lessons on financial management, Thai decided very early that he would follow finance-related training majors. In 10th grade, he began researching the US universities strong in finance and built a roadmap of academics and extracurriculars to strengthen his application.

Rather than showing a profile with high grades and a series of extracurricular activities, Thai wanted to show dedication to his passion with a clear direction. Most of his activities centered on business and finance.

In 2024, guided by a lecturer from Thai Binh University, Thai joined a study on “applying the circular economy model to macadamia and avocado production to boost financial efficiency in agriculture.” He helped survey nearly 170 cooperatives to assess the model’s financial impact.

The research group then proposed ways to optimize resource use, cut costs, and increase value. It was later published in the International Journal of Agriculture and Biosciences.

Thai also founded “FinAgri,” a project to help farmers in Moc Chau, Son La improve business outcomes. Through workshops on economic investment and business development, the project helped farmers attract funding, boosting profits by nearly 10 percent compared to the previous season.

While working with locals and touring the PaKhen avocado orchard, Thai launched a startup selling Moc Chau avocados. Over two summers, his team sold 650 kilograms of avocado, earning over VND30 million. All the money was donated to buy books and clothes for PaKhen Primary School students.

Driven by his passion for business and finance, Thai became an active leader in a high school finance club and helped organize a business and entrepreneurship competition for 16- to 18-year-olds.

“I didn’t list countless activities. I focused on what I poured time and heart into—things that helped me grow and taught me valuable lessons,” Thai said.

For his essay, Thai wrote about playing Quasimodo in the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. “At first, it was just a challenge, but the role forced me to face my insecurities and tendency to overcontrol in group work. I learned to trust, listen, and accept my own and others’ ‘imperfections.’ I used Quasimodo—‘flawed but sincere’—to show my growth in leadership, empathy, and perseverance.”

Thuy Nga