In her letter of recommendation to the RMIT Scholarship Selection Board, Vice-President of the Hanoi Blind Association Ms Chu Thi Thu Ha described Thu Loan as an outstanding student who thrives with challenges.
“When Thu Loan was a child, she was proactive, smart, and creative,” Ms Ha said. “I remember that she came to the Hanoi Blind Association to participate in a course of inclusive skills two years later than other students.
“However, she overcame the challenges and achieved high marks. Through her diligence and intelligence, she completed four years of curriculum in two years.”
Although childhood glaucoma and a terrible accident left Thu Loan totally blind from a very young age, she has stayed very positive, and always embraces learning, experiencing life and helping others in similar circumstances.
Thu Loan has used her writing ability to give a voice to those in need through her role as a media collaborator for the Hanoi Blind Association since she was 14 years old.
“I am highly aware of the exclusion faced by people with disabilities, and I hope to give people from the broader community a better understanding of who we are and what we are capable of,” Thu Loan said.
She voluntarily worked as an English teaching assistant at the Vietnam Blind Association for a year, and took any chance she could to boost her soft skills while waiting for the scholarship application result.
“I learned about information technology and online media skills, as well as how to produce and use audio books,” she said.
Considering herself very fortunate due to the enormous support she received from her family and friends during her time at Yen Hoa High School, as well as the staff at the Hanoi Blind Association while applying for the RMIT scholarship program, Thu Loan always tries her best to give back to the community.
“During high school, I relied on audio books and learning resources a lot, while not many students from remote areas have opportunities to access these,” she said. This was when Thu Loan and a group of close friends started producing audio books for visually impaired students. She continued her work with several international programs even after her project with her friends temporarily ended.
“As soon as I settle into my studies at RMIT, I will resume the audio book producing project, as I understand what other visually impaired students need the most,” Thu Loan said.
