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Ms. Quyen (standing) teaching Information Technology for AO victims. (Photo: SGGP) |
Journey to pursue education
Quyen was born into a family of four siblings. Her father, Mr. Vuong Quoc Thuan, 75 years old, is a veteran of the Southeast battlefield. As the youngest daughter and the first child in the family to be infected with AO, at the age of 8, Quyen had a “turtle shell" tumor growing on her back, getting bigger and bigger over time. Then, the impact of AO started to be found in the following generation of the family, her nieces and nephews.
Facing the hostility from her classmates towards the "deformity" Quyen had on her body, she even devoted herself more into her studies, holding the top ranks in terms of academic performance from elementary to high school.
In high school, Quyen cycled nearly 30 kilometers every day to pursue her studies. She never missed a day at school, even when her turtle-like tumor kept enlarging and weighing down her stunted body.
Coming from a poor financial background, Quyen proves herself a disabled girl of full abilities, affirmed Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Xuan Commune, Duong Minh Phuong.
With good academic performance and passion for History, Quyen passed the History Department entrance exam for Phu Xuan University (Hue) with excellent marks. However, Quyen did not attend university because of her lack of financial ability to pay tuition fees. Instead, she chose to study Information Technology in Quang Binh to find a job and share financial burden.
Great source of inspiration
Graduating from Intermediate Computer Science with honors, Quyen returned to her hometown in Quang Trach District with the hope of helping thousands of other disabled people there.
However, her wish did not come true. In 2010, she went to the Quang Trach District Disabled Children's Education Center to apply for a job but was rejected. In early 2011, she and her mother expressed their wishes to the Head of the District Internal Affairs Department, but were also rejected.
Fortunately, in early 2012, the Chairman of the Association for AO Victims in Quang Trach District accepted her to work at the association's office. With outstanding ability, in early 2014, Quyen was sent to study abroad in India under the "Searching for Young Talents" program run by the Central Vietnam Association for AO Victims and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the two countries Vietnam - India.
She was offered a specialized scholarship to study at the Faculty of Journalism and Communications, NIILM University, Haryana state, India.
At first, her lack of fluency in English inhibited her access to knowledge. This meant that she had to self-study and try much harder than the average students. There was a time when her weight dropped to only 25 kilograms, but she never gave up. At the end of 2017, she graduated with an excellent degree, ranking 4th in her class.
Returning to Vietnam with an excellent degree, Quyen was assigned to do clerical work at the Association for Victims of AO in Quang Binh Province. With an energetic and intelligent personality, a year later, Quyen was invited to Hanoi to do clerical work and became an IT teacher for indirect AO victims at the Center for Social Protection, which belongs to the Central Association of AO Victims in Vietnam.
Up to now, she has taught and supported more than 1,000 AO victims. At the same time, she never ceases to deepen her knowledge to help the next generation of victims, through which she gains more confidence in life and brings to light the contributions of disabled people.
Given her enormous contributions, Quyen was chosen by the Central Vietnam Association for AO Victims to participate in many meaningful programs and activities. In particular, she was one of the people chosen on behalf of Vietnamese AO victims to attend an exchange program with Japanese atomic bomb victims and students of Hanoi University in 2019.
In the same year, Quyen became the Ambassador for a nationwide charity SMS campaign launched to support AO victims.
In 2021, with her fluent English, she was chosen to participate in the "Open Space" campaign with the theme "Victims of War" within the framework of the Asia - Europe people's forum.
Having learned information technology from Quyen, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Quyet, an AO victim in Quang Trach District said he was greatly inspired and thus had the courage to overcome life's challenges. Quyen’s contributions are not restricted by her disability nor her physical limitations. She has made great devotion not only for AO victims but also for the community as a whole.
