Describe an instance where you gave back to your community. How will the Global UGRAD program help you continue to serve your community?
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Last summer, I aimed to get a quality job or internship where I can make real impacts and grow substantively.
When I told my friends about it, they were doubtful as they thought there were few quality internships/jobs and most were taken by top senior students. Volunteering in Human Resources Club where I have the chance to talk to various HR managers, I know there are SMEs and startups that want to hire junior business students for important positions like salesman or digital marketer.
There is huge potential if those companies and juniors like my friends are connected. Students learn transferable skills and better understand what they want to do, which is vital for a fulfilling career in the future. SMEs and startups save money on human resources. I set up a team of several members in my club to tackle this issue.
After surveying about 50 college students in Hanoi, we found out that it was hard to find quality internships/jobs for juniors. While some employers only promoted internship on their own website, others didn't even public their recruitment information and utilized internal referrals instead. Students usually searched 3 to 4 recruitment website without finding a suitable internship and frustratedly concluded that there were few opportunities for them.
I wanted to create a "job hub" that had plentiful opportunities and was highly convenient for students. We scrutinized the Internet and contacted potential employers to gather recruitment information, then created a Facebook event called "Summer Jobs 2016", and posted all opportunities there. Students following the event got notification of jobs and internships every day. Simultaneously, we promoted the event by asking other youth organizations and online newspaper to share it. With strong conviction that the event was valuable to students, we successfully persuaded prestigious newspaper like Vnexpress, Nhandan to spread it.
The impact was unimaginable. By 5th July, nearly 12,000 CVs from students all over Vietnam had been sent to 1062 businesses. Many of my classmates then wrote their CV for the first time to apply for a job.
What motivates me every day is seeing my friends and other students make progress in their career. I believe in the youth development. We, the young people, will be Vietnam's future leaders who run the economy and improve the society. My life mission is to make Vietnamese youth more capable and responsible.
UGRAD empowers me to nurture a vision and develop capabilities to pursue this mission. America has long been the world's hub of talents, which has an amazing system of talents development. Thanks to UGRAD, I can learn more about how America develops young talents and have a clearer vision for my mission with Vietnamese youth. UGRAD also enhances my leadership and professional skills through various activities and workshops.
However, it is the community service at UGRAD that make long-lasting impacts on me as a human being. The adventurous youth story a grandpa told me when I take him for a walk, the innocent things the kids ask when I read books to them, the smile on my fellow UGRAD-er's face when she volunteers with me will be imprinted on my road to character. 5 months of living, learning, loving, and contributing in a culture of volunteerism will truly reinforce my belief & commitment in helping other people.
Recognizing that youth organization leaders in Hanoi often lack sustainable leadership, I plan to build a development program for them after coming back from UGRAD. I believe what I've learned from the journey will provide a fresh perspective on leading strong and sustainable organization.