Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students

to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences.

Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your
interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you
want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. (400 words)

“Business and friendship don’t mix”

A quote that I’ve heard too many times. And, while I don’t often admit it, it was something that I
followed for too long, ingrained in my thinking like the Vietnamese tendency to work independently
instead of with others.

And yet, year after year, I found my endeavours collapsing due to bad communication leading to feuds
between teammates, or my refusal to ask for help. Eventually, I had enough, and once the opportunity
arose, I co-founded Plant Box Studios with 5 of my friends, seeking to promote environmentalism in our
local community through the sale of DIY Plant Kits and competing in the Saigon Enterprise Competition.

It was with my friends that I realized the error of my previous ways. Our friendship cultivated a
collaborative environment with an emphasis on open communication and respect, minimizing
arguments while allowing for constructive conversations. We had each other’s backs, strengthening my
courage to personally set up meetings with outside suppliers, which I had never done before. In the end,
our efforts paid off as we won the competition as well as awards for Best Marketing Strategy, Most
Innovative Product and Most Environmental and Ethical Company. We also raised over $1,000 to donate
to E.A.S.T’s Endangered Primate Centre, and more importantly, managed to prove the naysayers wrong.

My attempts at forming enterprises have led me to value discovery and collaboration greatly. Through
collaborating with my Cambridge PhD student mentor in my research on French neo-colonialism in
Africa, I affirmed my belief that when working alone, it is impossible to discover or innovate. Johns
Hopkins’ unique culture will allow me to hone these qualities as I continue to study and grow as a
scholar and as a person pursuing the interdisciplinary World Politics and Global Governance Double
Major with a focus in Political Economy. SAIS Europe’s Summer Academy in Bologna will allow me to
learn from with upperclassmen, recent graduates, and faculty to address our world’s most pressing
global dilemmas, knowledge which I will use and apply in the multiple collaborative research initiatives
that bridge class levels. I hope to discuss intriguing ideas with students of other disciplines in the
Humanities Research Clusters and aspire to join organisations such as the student-run Hopkins Podcast
on Foreign Affairs to talk with eminent experts of international relations on topical issues.

Johns Hopkins truly demonstrates the pinnacle of educational collaboration.