CHAPTER 3:
Achievements
First Prize, Project “Artful Haven - A Start-up Supporting Children with Autism”
Preparing the presentation for Artful Haven was full of tension. As we debated what to highlight, which testimonials mattered most, and how to balance emotion with clarity, arguments often grew heated. At times, I worried our differences might derail the project.
Navigating that conflict became the most valuable part of the experience. I learned to listen deeply, mediate priorities, and anchor decisions in the children’s stories. Dividing responsibilities let each of us contribute our strengths, and tension gave way to collaboration. By the final slides, every section reflected not just our work, but our collective care, insight, and compromise.
Winning first prize was rewarding, but the deeper lesson was about negotiation, empathy, and collaboration. Managing internal conflict taught me how to respect differing perspectives, build consensus, and create shared solutions, where understanding diverse viewpoints and navigating disagreement are essential to creating meaningful, lasting impact across borders.
Gold Medal, International Creative Papers Conference & Olympic, International Level
The night before our International Creative Papers Conference & Olympic presentation, we stayed on a video call until 2 a.m., rehearsing, filming, and refining every word. At that moment, exhaustion was real, frustration flared, and I thought, “Can we really pull this off?”
Then Hùng cracked a joke, Linh offered a creative fix for a tricky slide, and the tension broke. We laughed, refocused, and kept pushing. That night wasn’t just about a proposal. Sleepless nights, long calls, and shared frustrations turned us into close friends. After filming, we celebrated with a photobooth session, laughing at ourselves and capturing memories that felt priceless after all the hard work. Each argument, compromise, and moment of support strengthened our bond and taught me the value of collaboration, patience, and persistence.
The medal was tangible, but the true prize was the trust, friendship, and growth we built. Those nights showed me that empathy and collaboration turn hardship into connection, growth, and lasting memory I will carry forever.
Gold Medal, Moscow International Salon of Inventions and Innovative Technologies - “Archimedes”
In modern finance, allocating assets efficiently is complex, and traditional methods often falter with nonlinear, vast search spaces. Exploring PSO, a bio-inspired algorithm modeled on birds and fish, challenged me to think critically about algorithms, efficiency, and real-world applicability.
Throughout the project, I balanced learning advanced optimization, running simulations, analyzing results, and meeting tight deadlines. Managing these tasks honed my time management, patience, precision, and resilience, teaching me to tackle complex computational challenges with focus, precision, and perseverance.
The project taught me to turn abstract mathematical concepts into practical financial strategies, balancing analytical rigor with efficiency. It strengthened my problem-solving, independent research, and reinforced my academic curiosity, inspiring me to explore how computational tools can tackle real-world challenges.
Gold Medal, International Invention And Innovation Show Intarg, International Level
Throughout this project, the technical aspects, the algorithms, distance matrices, and optimization models, were only part of the journey. From the very beginning, I found myself immersed in the challenge of turning abstract concepts into something tangible and applicable. Countless nights were spent rehearsing our presentations, refining the maps, and double-checking calculations, often repeating steps again and again until we achieved a level of clarity and precision we could be proud of.
Working with my team taught me the value of collaboration and patience. Each of us brought different strengths: some excelled in coding, others in spatial reasoning or presenting findings. learning to adapt, support, and grow together was as crucial as mastering Dijkstra or Clarke & Wright's algorithm.
Beyond theory, I found the power of practice: mapping distances by hand on Google Maps, simulating delivery routes, and iterating solutions. By the end, I didn’t just understand VRP and optimization techniques; I had lived them. I learned that persistence, attention to detail, and the willingness to embrace trial and error are as vital as any algorithm to evolve a plan from sketches and spreadsheets into a coherent & functioning model.
Honoring Excellence in Community Service and Social Responsibility for The APRIL Collective Foundation, awarded by Communitas Awards, International Level
Winning the Communitas Award feels surreal, but it’s really a testament to every late night, every revision, and every push from our incredible team. Minh Anh and I stayed up until 3 AM countless nights, coordinating across time zones—me in the U.S., her in France, while the rest of the team was in Vietnam—just to keep the project moving. Phuong Nghi, head of Design, kept revising with patience and creativity until every detail felt right. Charlene and the HR team were the glue holding us all together, keeping everyone motivated, organized, and genuinely celebrated our progress.
This award isn’t just mine—it’s ours. It reflects the grit, collaboration, and passion that kept us going, even when it felt impossible. Looking back, the late nights and endless edits weren’t burdens—they were proof of how much we cared about doing something meaningful.
