The valedictorian with the highest score in 40 years at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law was once a… good student.

Cao Duc Anh is the valedictorian with the highest score in the more than 40-year history of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law with 3.9/4.0. At only 22 years old, he was given the opportunity to study straight for a doctorate with a scholarship of up to 252 million VND.

Up to now, Cao Duc Anh is the valedictorian with the highest score in the more than 40-year history of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law.

Photo: NVCC

From good student to valedictorian of the school

The valedictorian with the highest score in the more than 40-year history of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law used to start out as an average student, with nothing outstanding. Duc Anh shared that he was a good student in 8th grade. “At that time, I found studying very difficult and did not like studying, leading to neglecting my studies,” he said with a smile. There were even many days when he skipped school to play basketball, achieving only a 6.6 average score in math and a 7.6 average score in literature.

But thanks to a change in the learning environment from the North to the South, it became a big turning point that made his studies turn a new page. He believes that perhaps the environment and the teaching staff of Luong The Vinh High School (HCMC) made him love studying more than ever. Here, he tried his hand at being a class monitor and MC, joined the geography team and won first prize at the city level. His own motivation is what pushed him to try harder every day, that is when he understood the value of studying and thought more deeply about the person he wanted to become.

Admitted to Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, Duc Anh promised his family that he would receive a full scholarship to cover his family's tuition fees, because the cost of high-quality education was too much for his family at that time. As a result, he received a full scholarship for 8/8 consecutive semesters with a total GPA of 3.9/4.0, the highest score in 40 years of the school's history. In addition, he also received an ERAMUS+ ICM scholarship from Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia for 5 months and completed it excellently with a GPA of 5.0/5.0 and an ASEAN Study Tour scholarship in Singapore.

Duc Anh and his mother at the graduation ceremony receiving certificates of merit and scholarships

Photo: NVCC

In addition to focusing on studying, Duc Anh also actively participates in classroom management and extracurricular activities to explore and challenge himself. With his seriousness and meticulousness in everything, he won the championship of the school-level "De Jure 2023" competition, the city-level "Crack The Case 2024" competition, the runner-up of the school-level "VMoot - Moot Court 2022" competition, and the Outstanding Mediator at the Vietnam Mediation Moot Competition (national level).

Dr. Phan Hoai Nam, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Law, Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, said: “As a class monitor, Duc Anh has always been an example of a good learning attitude, proactively developing lessons and actively supporting lecturers in class management and operation. During the process of completing his graduation thesis as well as participating in scientific research topics, Duc Anh demonstrated a spirit of learning, initiative and remarkable research capacity. Experiencing many international programs has given him confidence, valuable knowledge and experience, creating a solid foundation for his future academic and career path."

It is known that last year, at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, Vo Nguyen Anh Thu achieved a GPA of 3.75/4.0, the valedictorian with the highest score in the history of 45 admission courses of the school. This year, Duc Anh broke the record again with a GPA of 3.9/4.0. Sharing about this, Dr. Phan Hoai Nam said: “The fact that students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Law have continuously broken graduation score records in recent years is a positive sign, reflecting positive changes from both students and the school. One of the important reasons is the change in the final score structure. With the increase in the proportion of mid-term cumulative points, students have more opportunities to demonstrate their learning process, actively participate in classroom activities, and at the same time reduce pressure in final exams, which are often considered the most "stressful". However, high scores do not only come from changes in the assessment mechanism. In fact, the training quality of the school as well as the learning capacity of students are increasingly improved significantly."

Valedictorian chooses major thanks to movies

Inspired by the character Harvey Specter in the American movie Suits , Duc Anh was fascinated by the steadfast and dignified demeanor of this lawyer. It can be said that Harvey Specter is an ideal model that he wants to aspire to. A best lawyer with a dignified demeanor, incredible ability to control his psychology and emotions, and always wearing a neat suit made Duc Anh, at the age of 17, fascinated. For that reason, he was determined to become a lawyer when he was standing on the threshold of choosing a university major.

Duc Anh thinks that he should try his best to study. It doesn't matter where he started from, he might just be a normal student, not the top student in the entrance exam, but anyone can become the top student in the graduation exam, when he has a big enough goal and strict enough discipline, he can absolutely achieve it.

An interesting thing he shared was that in his second year, he wrote a speech for his master's entrance exam. Duc Anh said: "Writing a speech for a future achievement of mine... is a way to "manifest" (realize a dream-NV) for upcoming plans". It was like a motivation to push him to continue on his path of study.

Revealing his “secret” to success, Duc Anh expressed that he had to really “participate” rather than “exist” in class. Attending class on time and fully is a prerequisite, followed by paying attention to lectures and debating with the lecturer about the lesson content. This not only helps to remember longer but also helps to understand the essence of the lesson, reducing the pressure when reviewing the lesson.

Ms. Huynh Thi Thuy Hang, a literature teacher at Luong The Vinh High School (HCMC), shared that what impressed her most about Duc Anh was his spirit of learning and constant effort throughout his studies. “The first time I met Duc Anh was during the selection of a program host for the literature group's project. He had a very good voice and was the only male student selected. However, standing on the big stage of Tran Huu Trang Theater in front of many students, parents and teachers was a huge pressure for an 11th grade student who had never hosted a program before. At that time, Duc Anh practiced countless times, sometimes he lost his voice because of non-stop practice. As a result, he appeared on stage as a professional program host. I think this event is a big stepping stone for Duc Anh's future development,” Ms. Hang recalled.

In that journey, Duc Anh has never gone alone, accompanying him are knowledge, inspiration from teachers, support from friends and meals from family. He feels himself more mature and grown up day by day when he always has the support of all his loved ones behind him. If at the age of 18, Duc Anh had difficulty facing two choices: pedagogy and law. Now, he is about to become a law lecturer as a mixture of two different dreams.

Looking back, Duc Anh said he never thought he could go so far through his studies. He always feels grateful for the care from the teaching staff, the Board of Directors, and all the members of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Law that he has met, who inspired him to become a passionate law lecturer like the way his teachers taught him.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thu-khoa-diem-cao-nhat-40-nam-truong-dh-luat-tphcm-tung-la-hoc-sinh-kha-185250915101811914.htm