During the closing ceremony of the school year last December at Thang Long English and Vocational school, Vy Minh returned to attend as an alumnus. He reminisced about the memories which have accompanied him since he participated in a cooking course supported by Thang Long school 5 years ago, and the steppingstones for his success in his current work.
Minh grew up from the care of his elderly grandmother – his parents have been absent since an early age. Without a main provider in the family with a stable income, Minh had to give up his hopes of attending university as he could not afford the tuition. He had to look for work at bubble tea shops, cafes, restaurants, … in order to afford his daily living expenses. In his final years of high school, Minh started to dream of one day becoming a professional chef; and as fate would have it, he was recommended to Thang Long school by the People’s Committee of his locality.
During the course of his cooking classes at Thang Long school near the end of 2018, Minh was given the opportunity to continue his journey towards becoming a professional chef through the support of saigonchildren. He enrolled in a professional cooking course in Western cuisine at Saigontourist Hospitality College, and within 5 years, graduated with great results. Right after his graduation, Ms. Phat – a social worker in charge of vocational classes at Thang Long school – recommended Minh to a job prospect at a wedding venue in Tan Binh. When the Covid-19 situation in Vietnam became more stabilised and life began to return to “the new normal”, Minh found himself a more permanent dock in his culinary journey: a French restaurant in District 2 – offering him a stable salary and many exciting experiences to develop as a chef.
Minh may have missed the chance to study at university with his peers – which he does sometimes regret – but this new direction has helped him realise many new values, and his own ability to achieve extraordinary things. He shares, “Even though I am not as privileged as other students to afford university, I am committed to my profession so I still have the chance to succeed. I now understand that nothing is impossible if we are truly passionate and dedicated to expanding our knowledge and pursuing our dreams”.
Witnessing Minh’s achievements over the past time and hearing his stories, saigonchildren is convinced that with such perseverance, Minh will soon secure many new successes – reaching great heights and conquering all obstacles.
HELP DISADVANTAGED YOUNG ADULTS LIKE MINH UNLOCK THEIR POTENTIALS