"The Blank Canvas" and the Story of the Valedictorian Who Refuses to Stand Still

"Welcome to HUST! Welcome home!"—that warm greeting was sent back in time by Nguyen Thu Giang to her bewildered freshman self standing under the Parabola gate four years ago. At the Graduation Ceremony held on September 28, the student of the English for Science and Technology program (FL1) Cohort 67 proudly received her Bachelor's Degree with Excellence, becoming one of the eight valedictorians of the 2025.2 graduating class at Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) with a CPA of 3.95/4.0 and a training score of 99/100.

The desire to become a "blank canvas" ready to embrace all creative opportunities, coupled with a proactive spirit and a refusal to stand still, has helped Thu Giang paint a brilliant journey at the intersection of language and technology.

The "Busbar" Intersection and Solving the Technology Integration Puzzle

For Thu Giang, the decision to pursue the English for Science and Technology (FL1) major stemmed from a practical perspective. She realized that behind every modern technological product is the goal of serving human life. Studying a foreign language in FL1 helps students master international communication tools, creating momentum to approach human-centric technological thinking.

The most memorable experience was a class with Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Viet Khoa. When he asked the open question, "What do you think 'bus' means?", most students immediately thought of the familiar vehicle. However, in technical terminology, a "bus" (busbar) represents a central electrical node in a system, connecting generators, transformers, and transmission lines.

At that moment, a subtitle popped into Thu Giang's mind: "Oh, I'm sold!" She realized that English vocabulary, when placed in a technical context, opens up entirely new layers of meaning. The FL1 environment transformed each student into a solid bridge connecting the flexible world of language with the sharp realm of technology.

This intersection was further nurtured through specialized courses. The Scientific Research Methodology course taught by Dr. Bui Thi Kim Phuong became a guiding compass shaping Thu Giang's logical thinking. The biggest lesson she learned was that conducting research involves pinpointing the central problem, selecting the appropriate methodology, and persistently seeking the answer to that core question, avoiding the pitfall of taking on too much data or asking too many rambling questions. This thinking method helped Thu Giang apply it effectively to all her academic projects and future practical work.
  Furthermore, the learning environment at the School of Foreign Languages is always filled with a spirit of sharing between teachers and students. During times of burnout, Thu Giang always received close companionship from lecturers such as MSc. Nguyen Thi Hien and MSc. Nguyen Thi Minh Ha. They patiently sat for hours to hone every small argument for the students, pointing out irrationalities in their methods and imparting academic enthusiasm.

The two teachers gave Giang profound advice: doing more does not necessarily mean better results; instead, every task undertaken needs a clear reason and must directly serve the set goal. That lesson helped the FL1 student know when to stop, rearrange her work, and focus on core priorities rather than taking on everything.

This cohesion at HUST was also marked during Thu Giang's time as the Captain of the HUST English Olympic Team. Under the caring encouragement of teacher Nguyen Bich Ngoc, the five-member team, each with their own strengths, united into a cohesive unit. That team spirit continued to spread when Giang became the Lead Teaching Assistant for the STEM-FOCUS EnglishWorks project, supporting the School's lecturers in teaching English to engineering students.

Stepping Out of the Lab to Touch Reality

Thu Giang's scientific research journey began in late 2022, right when generative AI tools exploded. With the curiosity of a language learner, she questioned the capability of AI in helping students improve their academic writing skills. 
  That idea quickly developed into methodical research projects under the guidance of teachers from the School of Foreign Languages. Thu Giang and her research team achieved impressive results with a paper published in the Journal of Education & Society in 2025 on applying ChatGPT's suggestions to develop vocabulary, alongside a publication in the Proceedings of the ICEF International Conference.

Notably, her graduation thesis titled "The Fear of World War III: An Analysis of Media Discourse and the Perspective of HUST Students" excellently won the First Prize from the Defense Council. The inspiration for the topic came from Giang's everyday observations when reading war news on social media. She questioned whether the way the media reported news altered an individual's perception of the event. That everyday contemplation turned into a highly practical research work.

Throughout the process, her supervisors, including MSc. Nguyen Thi Hien, MSc. Nguyen Thi Minh Ha, and MSc. Le Nu Cam Le, constantly accompanied her, continuously posing strict critical questions to help Thu Giang narrow the scope, clarify the nature of the problem, and ensure rigorous logic.
  Besides her academic research, the FL1 student also had the opportunity to tackle real-world problems on an international scale. In the I-Teams 2024 project in collaboration with the University of Cambridge (UK), Thu Giang and her teammates were tasked with surveying whether a topic could be suitably applied to the Vietnamese context. To assess feasibility, she went on a field trip to four wastewater treatment plants and organic landfills in Thai Nguyen province. Witnessing the actual operational process and listening to direct sharing from workers, Giang realized that a scientific solution must be placed in the local field context to maximize its practical value.

Her experience at the Hanoi - Seoul 2025 Multidisciplinary International Design Camp also brought Thu Giang unforgettable memories. As the only language student among 73 Asian engineering students, she and a male teammate engaged in heated debates from Vietnam to South Korea to balance technical feasibility and user experience. Under the patient guidance of Dr. Nguyen Dinh Van from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Giang approached engineering design thinking for the first time, learning how to read blueprints and use Figma for app interface design. This companionship helped her confidently step into a technology space she thought belonged purely to tech students.

At the HSBC Business Case Competition 2026, being the only foreign language student in HUST's economics-focused team that reached the Top 16 nationwide affirmed the integration capability of FL1 students. Giang described the moment of entering the exam room to solve a business problem with two words: "Headache" and "Happiness." A headache because the real-world problem had no ready-made answer, requiring continuous debate from the whole team; but an overwhelming happiness when fragmented ideas finally connected into a complete strategic solution.

The Blank Canvas and the Aspiration to Reach the World
  Her proactivity in learning earned Thu Giang 6 HUST Academic Encouragement Scholarships and the Nitori Scholarship (Japan) for two consecutive years. Giang shared that she was lucky to be accompanied by wonderful friends at the Sinno Club within the School of Information and Communication Technology. Watching her teammates always give their best and constantly innovate gave her more motivation to improve herself every day to become a solid companion for them.

Alongside her academic achievements, Thu Giang proactively engaged in the corporate environment. She worked as a Comtor at VAFEM Corporation, directly translating and supporting the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) in negotiating with over 50 international partners. This experience helped her verify the accuracy of specialized terminology in real-world commercial contexts.

During her internship at the National Innovation Center (NIC) and her Business Development Intern role at the AI1 Center of FPT Software, she gained knowledge of modern technologies such as Agentic AI, the Salesforce CRM management system, and various market data analysis methods.

When asked about the image that represents students of English for Science and Technology at HUST, Thu Giang chose the image of a "blank canvas"—free and unconstrained by any existing molds. That canvas could become a sharp technical drawing, a valuable scientific paper, or a grand business strategy map. Unbounded by space or ink color, the value of the canvas lies in the writer's mettle: persistently actualizing ideas while bravely erasing old ruts to rewrite from scratch in a constantly fluctuating world.
  The blank canvas representing the spirit of the FL1 student of the past has now been filled by Nguyen Thu Giang with scientific research content, experiential field trips, and a radiant smile on the day she received her degree with excellence. Four years under the HUST roof have shaped a courageous, enthusiastic Nguyen Thu Giang, who is constantly driven to create positive value for society. Closing a brilliant chapter under the Parabola gate, the FL1 graduate is ready to write even more brilliant stories on her journey to conquer the global tech space.