Explain how these activities have had an impact on you in any of the following

ways: learning to overcome challenges, becoming a better leader, becoming better

at working with others, or preparing you for college (100-250 words):

What happens when you put a dozen teenagers, unsupervised by adults, in a house for 40
days? One word: disaster.
In July 2024, my team moved into a rented house in Hanoi to prepare for our robotics
competition: FIRST Global Challenge. 12 members splitted into two teams: the technical
team (which I was part of) built the robot, while the non-technical team handled events and
social media.

With no official structure and 12 strong personalities in one house, chaos was predictable.
Most of us were “gifted kids” from top schools—each had a major ego.. Two adult mentors
were supposed to guide us, but they left. The house soon became a battleground— chores
were neglected, tensions rose, and some members considered quitting.

At first, I kept my head down, just quietly observing and judging, waiting for the right
moment to step in. The turning point came when we had to plan a STEM event for a rural
school. Technical team needed to finalize activity plans for the event, but the robot was all
they cared about. Instead of waiting, I decided to help to create the event plan myself.

After two days, some members joined me. Slowly, I became the bridge between the two
teams. By the end, I had been considered as the technical leader—not through a title, but by
earning trust.

Through this experience, I learned what real leadership is: gaining trust, stepping up when
needed, resolving conflicts, and bringing together people’s strengths to achieve a common
goal.

Discuss why you are interested in attending Penn State (100-250 words).

Since I was just a child , I have always been immersed into the endlessness of space: by the
beauty of distant galaxies, by the mysteries cloaked in the endless dark, and by the limitless
potential of untouch celestial bodies. However, I have a greater motivation behind this
passion which is my desire to contribute to humanity’s journey to escape the Earth—a key to
ensuring human existence. Those faraway planets may hold the solutions for the challenges
we created on our planet: overpopulation, climate change, resource shortage and many
more.

Through what I know, the aerospace engineering programme at Penn State is among the
top in the United State, and stands out for its excellence in research and its advancements in
the fields such as rotorcraft, aero-acoustics, and space systems. Additionally, the reputation
of aerospace research centers and projects within the university like the Vertical Lift and
Rotorcraft Center of Excellence or the NASA University Leadership Initiative tells me
intuitively that this is the right destination for me. Another thing I am interested in is the Penn
State alumni association, which not only brings me invaluable mentorship and career
opportunities but also gives me a sense of having a large, united, and multi-generational
family.

I believe that having a chance to enroll at Penn State University is a crucial step to bring my
life-long dream into reality: reaching beyond the sky and the future of mankind.

How might an engineering or computer science degree help you accomplish

your goals (100-250 words)?

Dreams are what keep us alive, but making a living helps us survive.
Trước khi cố với tới giấc mơ của đời tôi, trước tiên, tôi cần phải sống sót đã. Một công việc
về kỹ thuật thì chắc chắn không phải một lựa chọn tồi để tôi có thể đạt được mục tiêu này -
một ngành mà có muôn ngàn lựa chọn để tôi có thể make a living dựa trên nó. Nhưng make
a living mới chỉ là mục tiêu cơ bản của tôi, nó chưa phải final destination cho đam mê và
khát vọng của tôi.

Từ khi còn nhỏ, sau khi tôi tìm đam mê của tôi dành cho toán và khoa học, tôi đã định sẵn
rằng tôi sẽ chẳng tách rời nổi nó. Bắt đầu với Những trang sách về vật lý và về thiên văn
cùng với những quyển tiểu thuyết của Jules Verne đã luôn là gối cho những giấc ngủ xuyên
suốt những năm tháng mầm non và cấp 1. Những chiếc gối đó đã gieo cho tôi một giấc
mộng về khám phá thứ không gian bao la chưa từng có dấu chân con người: Về những tinh
vân xa xôi, những điều chưa biết và những sinh vật ta chưa từng thấy.

Dần dà đam mê cho toán học và khoa học những cuộc thi học sinh giỏi ở cấp 2 rồi là đỗ
trường chuyên ở cấp 3. Để rồi tôi cũng từ bỏ tiếp tục theo toán học để đi theo robotics. Ở
đây niềm đam mê về kĩ thuật của tôi lại một lần nữa được thắp lên. Những khó khăn, thất
bại và thành công ở đó cho tôi biết được rằng giấc mơ của tôi về mặt kĩ thuật là xa vời như
thế nào và tôi cũng sẽ phải cố gắng hơn nữa mới có thể tiến gần hơn đến nó.
Bốn năm học cử nhân về kĩ thuật chắc chắn sẽ góp phần cho tôi tiến xa hơn trên con đường
tiến gần đến giấc mơ của tôi, cho tôi kiến thức và kinh nghiệm để tiếp xây dựng nên giấc
mơ bằng bộ óc và bàn tay miễn là tôi còn sống. Dù tôi có thực hiện được đúng giấc mơ đó
không, tấm bằng về kĩ thuật cũng sẽ giúp tôi có nhiều cơ hội hơn để góp phần đóng góp vào
giấc mơ khám phá vũ trụ mà không chỉ của mình tôi đó.

Dreams keep us alive, but making a living helps us survive. Before reaching for my
ultimate dream, I must first secure my future. Engineering offers countless
opportunities for a stable career, but survival is only a starting point—it is not the
destination of my passion and ambition.

Since childhood, after discovering my love for math and science, I knew I could never
part from them. It all began with books on physics and astronomy, along with Jules
Verne’s novels, which became the pillows for my dreams throughout my early years.
Those very pillows planted in me a desire to explore the infinite cosmos—distant
nebulae, the unknown, and lifeforms yet to be discovered.
As my passion grew, I pursued mathematics competitions in middle school and later
earned a place in a gifted high school. Eventually, I left behind mathematics to pursue
robotics, where my love for engineering was reignited. The challenges, failures, and
triumphs there showed me how far my dream was in terms of technical capability—
and how much harder I would have to work to reach it.

A four-year engineering degree will be a crucial step for me to move closer to my

dream, equipping me with the knowledge and skills to shape my dream with my own
hands. Even if I cannot achieve it fully, such a degree will allow me to contribute to
the collective dream of space exploration—a dream that is not just my own.

The Penn State College of Engineering’s motto is "Inspiring Change, Impacting

Tomorrow." How have you inspired change and made an impact in the past?
How do you hope to do so in the future? (100-250 words)

I once thought my life as a student at high school would be a cycle of classes, exams, and
chasing high scores.

But everything has changed since I joined a robotics club which led me to join Vietnam’s first
FIRST Tech Challenge team. There, I learned about gracious professionalism and
coopertition.

On competition day, our robot had too many flaws, from lack of driver practice to poor fine-
tuning. Time between matches felt like a race to fix issues. However, we realized that even if
we couldn’t advance, we could still help others. So, we are trying our best to help the other
teams. When they reached the playoffs, their excitement felt like our success . We didn’t win,
but we gained something else: a deep understanding of the magic of joy of the competition

A year passed, and I soon became the one responsible for passing on that spirit. I wasn’t the
best from the start, but I worked to bring change—both in team structure and mindset. I
encouraged new members to step beyond their comfort zones, shared my own struggles
that I have been through, and built a space where every idea mattered, no matter how crazy.
After all, any idea could spark a revolution.

Beyond my role in the club, I carried a greater responsibility: inspiring the Vietnamese
STEM community as part of Team Vietnam FIRST Global mission. It’s a daunting
challenge, but one I must take—to bring the fascinated spirit and joy to passionate students
across Vietnam.

Is there any additional information you feel is relevant to your application for
scholarships? (100-250 words)

I have always believed that education is the most important path for me to pursue my
passion for aerospace science and technology. My family has been incredibly supportive of
my academic journey, but the cost of studying abroad presents a significant challenge.
Currently, $50,000 per year is the maximum amount my family can afford to pay for tuition
and related expenses. This number is also