Đỗ Ngọc Ánh

From Resilience to Purposeful Giving

I was born into a loving family and raised in the warm embrace of my parents. Life seemed peaceful and simple until one day, cancer took both of them away.

At 12, I was lost in the emptiness of grief and uncertainty. My future seemed like a road with no exit. I kept going, not because I knew where I was headed, but simply because I had to survive.

The whispers, the pitying looks, and the silent prejudices of adults soon wrapped around me like chains. To them, I was just “a girl without parents,” someone destined for a bleak future. My relatives believed that marrying early was the only way to “end my suffering.”

My grandmother wanted to send me to an orphanage, but fortunately, a distant relative took me in. From then on, my days became an endless cycle: waking up at 5 a.m. to help sell noodles, going to school at 7, washing hair at a salon after class, and spending late nights in a small sewing workshop.I worked tirelessly to prove that I wasn’t a burden, that I wasn’t useless or inferior as people assumed.

Compliments like “you’re good at making money” became my only source of validation, and I threw myself deeper into work, letting my studies fade away.

“Can your grades earn you money?”

“Just finish school and get married. Do whatever your husband does.”

Those words cut deep. I lived day by day in the cycle of survival, chasing after money while losing sight of meaning.

Then, in the spring of 2022, I received the most precious gift of my life, not money or material things, but a sentence.

Those were the words of Mother Dung, the founder of the Khát Vọng (Aspirations) Foundation, the first person who saw in me what I couldn’t yet see in myself: hope for a meaningful life.

It wasn’t a festive greeting or empty comfort. Her words pierced through the fog that had clouded my soul for years, illuminating the darkest corner of my heart and awakening a seed of aspiration long buried by fear and shame.

That spark of aspiration soon turned into action. I came to believe that education is the most sustainable path to unlock one’s potential and change one’s life.

Entering my final year of high school, I made a bold decision to quit all part-time jobs and focus entirely on studying, while actively joining extracurricular activities. Looking back, every hardship and every obstacle became a lesson that shaped my growth in both mindset and will.

The turning point came when I attended “Somewhere in Time Concert”, an artistic event organized by students from British University Vietnam (BUV). I was deeply impressed, not only by the scale and professionalism of the show, but by the mindset and confidence of the students. They worked with passion, creativity, and a sense of ownership. In them, I saw the image of a generation that dared to think, to do, and to live for what they truly believed in. At that moment, I knew this was the kind of environment I longed to belong to, one that doesn’t define people by their past but recognizes them for their effort and aspiration.

That experience became a catalyst that reignited my dream of pursuing higher education in an international setting. From that moment on, all my efforts – studying, improving myself, persevering every day – were directed toward a single goal: winning the Lionheart Scholarship from BUV. If knowledge could change my destiny, then I would start again from here.

With the support of the Khát Vọng Foundation, the faith of Mother Dung, and my own relentless determination, I finally achieved what once seemed impossible: becoming a BUV scholar.

That moment felt like a full stop. It ended the endless loop of hardship for an orphaned girl, affirming that every ounce of perseverance was worth it. Yet that full stop also marked a new beginning, where light would guide the seed within me to grow toward a world full of color.

It didn’t take me long to adjust to life at BUV. The warmth and dedication of my lecturers and friends erased every trace of distance, giving me a sense of belonging I had never felt before.

Coming from a different starting point than most, I knew I had much to learn. But on this journey, I was never alone. I am deeply grateful for the teachers and friends who listened, encouraged, and walked beside me, not only in class but also in moments of everyday life that shaped my personal growth.

To me, BUV is more than a university; it’s a place that allows me to observe, act, make mistakes, and transform. Learning goes beyond textbooks; it happens through experiences.

From my first year, I joined student clubs, learned how to plan major events, and gained real-world professional experience through internships. These experiences broadened my perspective, helping me break through the limitations I once placed upon myself.

With the spirit of “Pay it forward”, I strive to pass on what I have received, especially to the orphaned children of the Khát Vọng family, the very place that gave me my first glimpse of hope and purpose.

The foundation now supports over 600 orphaned and underprivileged children nationwide, not only through financial aid but also through guidance and mentorship that helps them find confidence and pursue their dreams.

Last year, I had the privilege of mentoring six high school seniors applying for local scholarship programs. All of them received the “Tiếp Sức Đến Trường” scholarship, and half went on to earn the prestigious VietSeed award.

For the past three years, as a volunteer at Khát Vọng, I have supported children academically, emotionally, and personally, but more than anything, I have tried to show them that they too can believe in themselves and take bold steps toward their future.

Watching them grow day by day, I have come to understand the power of guidance and giving. That power doesn’t belong to individuals but to communities, to people who believe in kindness and continue to plant it, even through the smallest acts.

I have learned that social responsibility doesn’t start with grand gestures but with small, consistent actions rooted in compassion. And through every challenge and every failure, I have found courage and resilience, the will to keep giving, to keep lighting the way forward.