RMIT Vice-Chancellor Awards honours two close friends

RMIT Vice-Chancellor Awards honours two close friends

High academic achievement, social responsibility and service to the community are all values that RMIT University wants their graduates to embody.

Two Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication) graduates who personify these principles were presented with the Vice-Chancellor Award at Graduation ceremonies in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi recently.

The two students are also close friends, whose lives first crossed paths after placing in the top five at the Spikes Asia 2019 competition in Vietnam for contributing to RMIT’s ‘Most Winning University’ achievement, which won them a trip to Singapore.

These two high achievers thrived during university and will continue to do so for many years to come.

RMIT Vietnam Chairman Professor Peter Coloe presented the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Saigon South campus to Nguyen Thi Truc Van. RMIT Vietnam Chairman Professor Peter Coloe presented the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Saigon South campus to Nguyen Thi Truc Van.

Currently working as a Commercial Management Trainee at Nestlé Vietnam, the award recipient from Saigon South campus Nguyen Thi Truc Van started her time at RMIT Vietnam as a President’s Scholar and ended with a Vice-Chancellor Award and an Outstanding Graduate Award for achieving the highest GPA in her program.

Van represented RMIT in numerous competitions and events, winning a silver prize in the 2019 Vietnam Young Lions Competition, leading the first Vietnamese team to double prizes in the 2017 Take Off! Global Challenge in Paris, and filling the role of Student Academic Success program tutor, project leader, ambassador, and President of the Vietnam chapter of an international peace organisation.

“The highlights of my undergraduate journey have proven that the core values of RMIT students are stronger than the ‘rich kid’ stereotypes,” Van said. “With a strong foundation, RMIT students always strive to go the extra mile which challenges the ‘spoon-fed’ labels and raises the standards of university students that are highly sought-after by recruiters.”

While accepting the award at a Saigon South ceremony, Van shared three RMIT signature experiences with all her fellow graduates to remember and carry with them into the next chapter of their lives: deadlines, global and teammates.

In particular, Van placed a strong emphasis on the global attribute of RMIT which allowed students to “have had some sort of global experience, whether it is going on exchange or study abroad, taking a Global Leadership program, having foreign lecturers and classmates, or simply studying in English”.

“These experiences have helped strengthen our global mindset and broaden our horizons,” she said.

Nguyen Thi Truc Van was in the UK during her semester exchange to Cardiff University. Nguyen Thi Truc Van was in the UK during her semester exchange to Cardiff University.

“For me, without my semester exchange to Cardiff University in the UK, I would not be working with all the passion and enthusiasm I have right now. Four months of self- reflection with exposure to new cultures, new people and learning experiences significantly sharpened my thinking, helped me understand myself better, and clarified the next steps for my career path.”

RMIT Vietnam Chairman Professor Peter Coloe presented the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Hanoi campus to Nhu Huong Tra. RMIT Vietnam Chairman Professor Peter Coloe presented the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Hanoi campus to Nhu Huong Tra.

Also a President’s Scholar, the recipient in Hanoi Nhu Huong Tra made lasting contributions to the RMIT community, including winning a Student League Golden Prize in the 2019 Vietnam Young Lions competition, placing first in the 2017 RMIT 24 Hours Design Challenge, attending the 7th University Scholars' Leadership Symposium, being Hanoi Team Leader for the 2018 Singapore City Challenge, lending her voice to social causes, presenting at SCD showcases, and leading and supporting numerous local RMIT events.

Nhu Huong Tra (second, left) attended RMIT Leadership Camp in 2018. Nhu Huong Tra (second, left) attended RMIT Leadership Camp in 2018.

Tra found that connecting with people was what she cherished the most along her journey at RMIT, and it was these connections that made her proud to be an RMIT undergraduate.

“So many times at RMIT, I had the chance to meet some of the brightest people within my peers - the global citizens, the excellence-seekers, and above all, progressive and supportive friends,” Tra said.

“The most astonishing thing is that as an institution, RMIT is preparing a generation of practitioners and leaders to bring positive changes to certain industries and communities.”

She wants to further this legacy of changes long after graduation.

“I wish to contribute to a community where aspiring individuals, like many of whom I’ve met, could find solidarity and assistance,” she said. “The path of positive change is often filled with challenges, and for many purpose-driven fresh graduates, it might a lonely-quest. Hopefully with a supportive alumni community, we can amplify their impacts, and inspire the upcoming classes of graduates.”

Currently working as an illustrator for Vietcetera, a news and media company based in Ho Chi Minh City, with a team of aspiring young people, some of whom are also RMIT graduates, she hopes to create platforms of meaningful and sustainable content to share with young audiences.

In her acceptance speech, Tra encouraged her fellow graduates to “always believe in each other, support each other, as friends, and as members of our RMIT Community.”

Story: Ha Hoang

18 December 2019

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