The Story Behind
It was one of the most exhausting phase during my high school years. I was juggling my role as Secretary General of a provincial Model UN conference, preparing for the SAT, and studying for midterm exams—all at once. My days blurred into late nights, and I felt constantly on edge.
Amid that chaos, an unexpected email arrived: an invitation to join a research project under Dr. Le Minh Quang from the University of Economics, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Something about the topic—how digital transformation drives innovation in Vietnamese SMEs—sparked my curiosity. Despite my exhaustion, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. Soon, I found myself designing surveys, sending them to entrepreneurs across the country, and learning to analyze data using unfamiliar software.
There were moments of doubt, but also moments of quiet pride when the numbers started revealing real stories—of resilience, creativity, and change. Later, when our findings shaped a policy brief for the National Digital Transformation Program, I felt truly rewarding and proud of myself for daring to grasp that opportunity eventhough I was extremely burned out.