Female game enthusiast wins scholarship of over 6 billion VND

Hanoi Playing games since elementary school, Bao Han conquered American universities with an essay about this passion, along with a GPA of 9.7, SAT 1570/1600 and IELTS 8.0.

Trinh Bao Han, grade 12 English 2 student at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, received the news that she won the Global Scholars scholarship from Drexel University on March 22. This school is currently ranked 98th on the US News American university rankings.

The female student will have all tuition fees waived for the Game Production and Design major, worth about $60,000 (1.5 billion VND) per year. Her family only needs to spend about $20,000 for food, accommodation and living expenses. On its website, Drexel University said it has awarded 120 of these scholarships to applicants worldwide over the past 12 years.

"I received the good news at 1am, all I could say was 'wow'," Han recalled. Before that, she had been accepted to 4 other schools.

Trinh Bao Han. Photo: Character provided — Trinh Bao Han. Photo: *Character provided*

Han planned to study abroad since grade 11 and started preparing her application at the beginning of grade 12. For Han, the hardest part was writing the essay.

The female student struggled with many ideas but the essay had a word limit so she did not know how to tell the story convincingly. She searched for many articles online for reference, then wrote a draft of 200 pages on the computer.

In addition to the main essay, Drexel requires four supplementary essays. Han is most satisfied with the two essays about the difficulties she encountered and what she plans to do to contribute to the development of the country after finishing her studies.

First, Han wrote about the hesitation between wearing a suit or ao dai during a yearbook photo shoot. According to her, many people are physically insecure, have their own mental reasons, or are afraid of being gossiped about their gender, so having to choose a certain outfit can be very restrictive.

After many days of consideration, I decided to wear both outfits.

"I feel different when I wear a suit. I have stepped out of my usual gentleness to confidently show off a strong image," Han said.

Talking about her passion for games, Han wants to prove that this is the intersection of science and many art forms. Han has been exposed to and played games since elementary school.

"Online games played in teams are easy to get caught up in, so I focus on simulation games that have a plot, characters, images and setting," the female student said.

Playing games helps Han connect with others, increase reflexes and judgment. According to her, her parents are not strict about their daughter playing games, as long as she ensures her studies. Han applies the Pomodoro method, setting a study time of 25 minutes, with a 5-minute break. During her breaks, she plays games like Pokemon, The World Ends With You, Ghost Trick, Subnautica ... to relax her mind.

Every day, Han plays at least one hour. During her adventures, she feels like creating her own world by programming, designing and making her own games.

Han self-studied Harvard University’s computer science program online, watched video tutorials on how to use game-making software from developers, and then experimented with creating simple games. She also made friends with programmers and game designers at home and abroad to learn from.

Last year, Han created a game in two weeks to compete in a competition at the University of Southern California (USC) - the school with the top Game Design major in the US - and won third place. The female student then worked with many friends from Canada, the US, and the UK to create a detective game for another competition. Han was in charge of character and background design. Her team ranked 86th out of 400 teams and was invited to participate in an event for game developers in the Southeast Asian region.

From her own passion, Han believes that games are not only a tool for entertainment but also a playground for creativity, art and personality expression. She puts game development in the larger context of art, education and society, thereby contributing to the development of the country's creative potential.

Ms. Nguyen Bui Hanh Nguyen, Han's mentor, commented that Han's essay about the game and the products she made demonstrated her true passion. This was the key factor that helped Han win the scholarship.

In addition, Han's profile also includes a 9.7 GPA, 1570/1600 SAT score and 8.0 IELTS. Her design projects demonstrate her artistic ability.

Han is excited to go to the US to enroll in school next September and quickly connects with the creative and game development community at school to learn.

"Everyone has their own path, so never feel like it's too late or don't dare to express yourself. Find your passion and confidently pursue it," Han said.

Dawn

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