Vietnamese student raised by hearing-impaired mom wins $400,000 US scholarship

This fall, the 18-year-old will attend Macalester College in Minnesota, ranked among America's top 20 liberal arts colleges by U.S. News in 2025. His scholarship is worth around $98,500 per year.

Thien said he deliberately set his sights on liberal arts colleges from the start. "I like their small class sizes and the chance to interact more closely with professors," he explained.

His path abroad began when he earned admission to United World College (UWC) in China, where he graduated from the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. A debate camp first introduced him to UWC, and the Dak Lak Province native pursued it with determination.

"I wanted to study abroad to expand my worldview and learn more about culture, people, and the world," he said.

At UWC, Thien discovered a passion for mathematics and economics, spending months studying game theory applications with a teacher at a transport services company. He also assisted a PhD student on research into startups, an experience that strengthened his college application.

For his Macalester essays, Thien returned to the story that had carried him through his first scholarship: his upbringing with his mother.

"The journey was full of differences, and the way my mother and I overcame them by learning sign language together motivated me to want to help the disabled community," he said.

But this time, he wrote with greater maturity. "Previously, I simply described my life and feelings. This time, I reflected on the experience from afar, while living away from home," he explained.

In another essay, he wrote about the ethnic minority communities of Vietnam's Central Highlands, where he spent his childhood, framing his goal as contributing to the region's economic development during the era of integration.

"Writing essays is like a miniature version of the effort journey. Your first draft will never be perfect, so I was always ready to revise many times," Thien said.

Jacob Thomas Sevick, one of his teachers at UWC, praised Thien's resilience and curiosity.

"Even though his English literature foundation was initially not very strong, and he had to struggle with essays and academic presentations, he still achieved the highest results in the cohort," Sevick said.

Thien now plans to double major in mathematics and financial economics while also pursuing community-oriented projects.

"I want to return to the Central Highlands and create positive changes for the land where I grew up," he said.