MAI XUAN TRA – EXPLORE THE HUMAN CONNECTION

Exploration is not a one-time achievement, but a network of smaller, gradually building-up events and experiences. Tell it to Mai Xuan Tra, a senior CBM student majoring in Hospitality Management, and she would absolutely agree.

Tra’s journey at VinUni has been all over the place, in a good way. Since her freshman year, she has seen herself growing through a myriad of paths: from work-study, student clubs, internships on an island, and school-wide events. Challenging as they were, trying those new things allowed Tra to develop several skills, including languages, problem-solving, patience, and most importantly, human connection.

“I felt like I have that so-called ‘First-Cohort Advantage,’ in which I got to bond with almost everyone in my cohort, which in turn gave me the natural confidence to bond immediately with so many more students in later years.”

Tra’s instant clickability with people applies not only to peers but also to faculty and staff. She was good at adapting to different teaching styles and mindsets that come with every new professor and class. 

But for a while, Tra did take all of these good things for granted… until she was thrown into a place that is not VinUni.

“At the end of the day, university is still a half-half environment, not too pampering yet not too cut-throat. At VinUni, connection is apparent because people feel the need to respond if you reach out. But real life is not designed to revolve around you, or anyone.”

Indeed. No longer are the days when you could proudly call yourself the President’s List student or Champion of Change. In real life, you start anew, with your VinUni identity a thing in the past. 

However, it is not so much a bad thing, according to Tra.

“Once you begin to realize your limit, you stop waiting for your one true north – that ideal job or career path calling for your pursuit. You are now free to go with the flow, to try new things without second-guessing if it is VinUni-worthy.”

And she wanted to extend that small, liberating thought to all of her friends, who might be struggling coming to terms with the confusion and multiple directions in the post-VinUni world. Actually, we can always start by reconnecting with humans, isn’t it?