From a small question to big dreams: Using the power of data to build optimization models for life
The academic journey of Ngo Thanh An, recipient of VinUni’s scholarship, exemplifies relentless effort and the spirit of “dare to think, dare to do.” From the early days of uncertainty in choosing a field of study, An gradually pursued his passion, affirmed himself, and got a scholarship of Bachelor of Data Science at VinUni.
Journey from “newbie” to “bestie” in Data Science
Starting as a valedictorian in the Mathematics specialized class at Luong Van Chanh High School for the Gifted (Phu Yen), An did not hesitate to participate in math competitions both domestically and internationally. However, the turning point came when he first got exposed to Applied Mathematics through the Vietnam Math Modeling Competition 2023 (VM2C) and won second place nationwide with unique modeling ideas to solve real-life problems. He experienced various methods of analysis, information retrieval, and computational programming to describe, analyze, predict, and provide optimal solutions. He realized that data science plays a crucial role in many fields and wanted to contribute to solving practical problems.
Few people know that this passion was sparked from a simple question on his way to school. One morning, he was late for a test due to rush hour traffic congestion. He wondered how much this issue affected people’s lives and what he could do to solve it with his knowledge. A series of questions and reflections from this seemingly ordinary situation led An to a practical question: What if we could make the right decisions from the beginning by leveraging deep data insights? From there, An began to explore and nurture his dream in Data Science.
Pursuing the dream of using data to solve life’s problems
Starting with the basics, An initially struggled with programming languages and data analysis. However, he actively sought out “partners” in the LVC Avalanche group and found methods to make his learning journey smoother. “I successfully built a bus distribution model to optimize waiting times in the city using geometric formulas and the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. With the help of friends specializing in programming, I realized that my mathematical mindset combined with the power of programming could be applied to solve these complex problems,” An proudly shared.
Balancing schoolwork with participation in the logic math club, An also spent time writing essays to apply to universities. His achievements in competitions gave him the confidence to choose VinUni as the “landing place” – for his future journey in Data Science. After much effort, he got prestigious Bachelor of Data Science scholarships from VinUni and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, the first year VinUni has a Data Science program, An shared: “Although this is my first time stepping into a multicultural environment like VinUni, I believe that the Bachelor of Data Science at VinUni will provide me with a comprehensive education, offering not only deep knowledge in mathematics and data analysis but also practical skills and connections with a dynamic network of faculty and like-minded peers. This valuable resource will help me continue to pursue my career and realize my dream of building optimal models to solve real-world problems in the future.”
For Thanh An, creating positive changes for society and bringing profound meaning to life through data is the greatest motivation. An affirmed: “Even though the journey may face many challenges, I will persist in this mission to help more people.” This is also the reason why An chose to join VinUni – where he can develop himself comprehensively and prepare for his future.
