HAI DUONG – Only said “hello” at the age of 4, unable to fully pronounce a sentence in elementary school, 10 years later Truong Huy was the chairman of the argument club.
In the morning of March, Do Truong Huy, 18 years old, a 12D student at Chi Linh High School, attended an online Math lesson. I watched the lecture slide, sometimes bent down to quickly write down the theory to remember. Being called by her to speak about how to solve a spatial image, Huy confidently presented.
Looking at the way the young man spoke boldly, many people could hardly believe that Huy could not pronounce correctly in Vietnamese or say a complete sentence without stuttering or lisping. “Ten years ago, my dream was just to be able to speak Vietnamese normally like many people, even though my parents, relatives and I were all born and raised in Vietnam,” Huy said.
When Huy was 3-4 years old, his family began to notice an abnormality. While the other children were playful and chattering, Huy could only say “hello”. After a short time seeing Huy go to class but not improving, his parents took him to Hanoi for examination. “Huy has a language disorder”, the doctor’s conclusion was like lightning across his family. Mom hugged me and cried forever, and father was silent and silent.
During elementary school, Huy struggled with Vietnamese because he stuttered, lisped, and had difficulty listening – reading – understanding. I often get bad marks in grade 1 because I can’t spell the word clearly like my friends. “At that time, I could not even distinguish between you and eat , every sound seems to be the same and it took a long time to finish saying a sentence”, Huy recalled. At that time, although the writing score was not too bad, Huy still received average academic results because he got 4 points in Vietnamese.
He stuttered and lisped so that Huy was often teased by his friends. Each time like that, Huy just kept quiet because he understood that “fighting” with those people was impossible. For many primary schoolers, it is a beautiful picture when playing comfortably, carefree. But in Huy’s memory, that time was like long-lasting nightmares, so far it still leaves me more or less haunted. At that time, family was the most peaceful place, making Huy feel safe in communication.
“If I don’t change, I’ll always be like this”, Huy always told himself. At home, I practice speaking with my grandmother and parents, practicing pronunciation. Up to middle school, Huy was less stuttering, but he still had many pairs of syllables. I tinkered on the Internet, find speaking exercises to learn from, hoping to one day be able to confidently speak loudly, louder and smoother. Every day, I take the time to practice speaking and maintain it for many years.
Because of language problems, Huy is often interested in communication activities and argument. In the eyes of the young man born in 2003, the fact that someone can stand in front of a crowd giving a presentation or presenting his personal opinion is really “cool” and I always want to one day do it.
When he became a student at Chi Linh High School, Huy became interested in the Teen School program, an argument playground for high school students. Inviting friends to join the selection round, although not in the recording round, Huy had the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with his friends in the Debate Club of Nguyen Trai High School, Hai Duong.
A bold thought came to mind: “Why don’t I set up an argument club at school?”. With the approval of the management board to set up a club, Huy and his three companions begin the communication plan by going to each class during regular hours, introducing the controversy and benefits that this activity brings. . During the summer of 10th grade, I set up a fanpage on Facebook to attract interest and then started posting membership posts.
At the beginning of the 11th grade year, when the fanpage nearly reached 1,000 likes milestone, Huy asked the administrators to introduce the club in the opening ceremony at the beginning of the week. The moment standing in front of hundreds of friends and teachers, the male student was nervous, his hands were wet with sweat. When I spoke, I stuttered again because I was too trembling. The whole school laughed. The memory of the days of being teased and isolated once again appeared before my eyes. Huy closed his eyes, took a deep breath and did not allow himself to be afraid.
“Hello everyone, I’m Truong Huy, a student in class 11D”, Huy said to start over. Just like that, she finished her speech in the applause of her friends. Up to now, for Huy, the opportunity to speak in front of the whole school is still one of the happiest moments. “If I ask what my accomplishments are after years of practice, I wouldn’t hesitate to talk about my speaking experience in the salute of the flag that day,” Huy said.
Currently, the debate club founded by Huy has nearly 40 members, is the only group working in this field in Chi Linh city. Male students often hold group debates, modeled like Truong Teen, for the members to practice. During a break from school because of Covid-19, the club is still active online, five times a week. In addition to club activities, Huy also maintained an academic average of 9.2, only Math 9.9, won the third prize in two English Olympics, a good student in Literature and a “3 good” student. provincial level.
When he became more confident, Huy registered to take the contest The Road to Olympia, which has been a dream since childhood. Although not in the monthly exam round, Huy had many memorable experiences when he became the first student of Chi Linh High School to participate in this playground. The process of studying and coming to Olympia also helps Huy persevere and confidence in his abilities.
Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Phuong, Huy’s homeroom teacher and high school Literature teacher, commented that the student was persistent and determined. Huy has an impressive academic ability, is often at the top of his grade, is an exemplary class president, always has new ideas and has a talent for drawing beauty. “Now, when speaking in front of class, the first part of Huy is often confused and his speech is not fluent. After that, he will be able to catch up and speak more confidently. very proud “, the teacher said.
The journey “looking for a voice” was recounted by Huy in an essay sent to VinUni University, named “Sound shape” under the title of a famous Japanese cartoon. For me, success is not only about titles and awards but also about overcoming myself, achieving my dream of “speaking normally”. Understanding that, Huy realized: “The best voice does not have to be smooth, or like a singer, but only needs to be voiced from his own confident and enthusiastic heart.
Thanks to his impressive essay, despite not having any international certificates, Huy still won a 100% scholarship in Business Administration from VinUni University, worth 3.3 billion VND. Joy came to me in the first few days of February, when my father worked away from home and her mother was in isolation. “Winning a scholarship shows that my efforts are recognized again. Many times I think things are too much for me, but then I wonder why I don’t try to know where to limit myself “, Huy said.
As the person who directly interviewed Truong Huy, Dr. Jenny Kyunghwa Chung, senior lecturer, Institute of Business and Management, VinUni University, acknowledged that he has the “appearance” of a future leader, owning the Overcoming difficulties and thinking big. “When I talk to Huy, I feel that she is completely master of communication, convincing and thorough presentation”, Ms. Jenny shared.
Despite passing university, male students still determined to seriously study to graduate from high school with high results. Huy thinks that English is still his weakness, so he will focus on improving his listening and speaking skills.
When asked if he regrets or wants to change anything in the past, Huy shook his head. I think everything I have gone through contributes to what I am today. That’s the same thought she expressed in her VinUni application essay: “If you want to fly, you have to give up everything that weighs you down”
For Huy, inhibition is teasing, mockery, isolation, and social prejudice about his voice. “When I overcame those negative things, I feel that I really get better, do the things I have longed for. Over the challenges, I understand I will never fail until I give up. “, Huy said.
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