Do Not Be Afraid of Using the Opportunity

Cao Thuong shares with HSE Illuminated her magnificent journey to come and study at the Higher School of Economics.

Do Not Be Afraid of Using the Opportunity

Thuong Cao

Thuong is studying for her Bachelor's degree at Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics. Today she is here to tell her story.

I am a Vietnamese girl, born and raised in a farming family located in a small central province of Vietnam. It was the hardships in childhood that I experienced that made me always cherish a plan to study abroad to acquire new knowledge in order to have a decent job that can help my family and be a part of society. At the end of my 12th grade at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted children, I seized the opportunity to study abroad in the Russian Federation, a country I was told was the land of the birch trees, along with the warmest friendship with Vietnam. I won a full scholarship to study abroad for 5 years at the Higher School of Economics in Russia, this is the happiest thing of my youth that I have. The reason is that I have fulfilled my dream of studying abroad and attending the most prestigious school in Russia. I promised myself to make my parents proud of me.

On October 3, 2019, I arrived in Russia, I had a heart full of enthusiasm and determination. I know that now, I have to live away from my family, be independent, and cope with all the difficulties in a foreign country. In Russia, on my first day when I arrived, I noticed that the weather was cold but the people’s hearts were warm. In the first year, I had to spend a year learning Russian. I was a student who knew nothing about Russian, so I was shocked when the first few months I couldn't keep up with my friends in class. I tried to suppress the fear in myself to keep trying because I wanted to confirm that my choice was the right one. I plunged into the school like a moth and that year I was the one who persevered in attending the most in class and also successfully graduated from the Russian language course.

But no matter how hard I try, I can't find it enough. I became a freshman in Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics in the Faculty of Management at the Higher School of Economics. This major is taught bilingually in English and Russian. My fear increased because I was not confident in my Russian, and I was the only foreign student in the class. I did my best to study day and night. I spent 15 to 16 hours a day studying every day so I can keep up with the curriculum. I promise myself that I will put in 10 times more effort than anyone else to be able to overcome any language barriers I face while studying because I can barely hear 100% of what the teacher teaches in class. Every day, I try to learn everything by myself and stick to the teacher's slides to understand the lesson, so that my self-study spirit is also enhanced. There were times when I thought I had given up but no, I didn't allow any negative thoughts to creep into my mind. I try to keep my mind positive and always full of energy to be able to face any difficulties ahead.

After 3 years have passed, I am now a junior. I can confidently write the next page of my life book at the High School of Economics. At this university, I live in love and enthusiastic support from teachers and Russian friends in class. They have helped me a lot so that I can be strong to overcome difficulties. Many times, my limited Russian language makes it difficult for people to understand, but teachers and friends always tolerate me. The special thing is that the teachers always help me enthusiastically and allow me to use English when studying, and I can communicate in English with most of my Russian friends in class. In my class BLG203, I am really grateful to all of you, who have always accompanied me on my learning journey. And I'm really touched to have Anna, Tanya, Katerina, Shlomo, Baina, Bogdan, and so on - wonderful friends that I have at HSE university, they always welcome me to work with, help, and encourage me when I'm in trouble. I still vividly remember what my classmate Bogdan said to me: “Don't worry! You know that we will always help you. We will definitely not leave you in difficult times.” There were many words of encouragement from teachers and other friends that have given me hope, and I am always determined to never give up to try to conquer my dreams. I was really touched by my Russian friends and teachers, they were really warm and made me consider this university as my second home.

Don't worry! You know that we will always help you. We will definitely not leave you in difficult times.

What I regret for the past three years, is that I spent too much time studying without discovering Russia. I hope that in the remaining 2 years I will spend more time exploring Russian culture, Russian lands, and Russian people. The next road will be difficult, but I will still try to graduate successfully. For me, with just perseverance and best efforts, every door will always open to welcome us. Finally, I would like to say, thank you to HSE university for giving me valuable experiences, giving me useful knowledge, and thanks to all the teachers and friends who have been accompanying me. I will do my best to not let everyone down, I will always be strong to conquer my dreams!

Thuong Cao