A student at Marie Curie School, Linh Chi has been accepted to multiple top institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley - one of the leading public universities in the US - and New York University, ranked 31st globally.

“The moment I received the admission letters, I felt a deep sense of relief. Among them, I was happiest to be accepted to New York University - the school I had always dreamed of,” Linh Chi shared.

A decade devoted to the arts

Linh Chi has spent 10 years pursuing the arts, with figure skating standing out as her primary discipline. She first encountered the sport at the age of eight.

During a visit to a shopping mall, curiosity led her and her brother to ask their mother if they could try skating.

“I wondered how people could keep their balance and glide so smoothly on ice. That curiosity made me want to experience it myself. Fortunately, my parents were very supportive and allowed us to train regularly,” she recalled.

After some time, coaches recognized the siblings’ potential and encouraged their family to pursue formal training.

The early days were far from easy. Maintaining balance, moving fluidly, and executing spins required persistence. Falls and minor injuries were common. Yet her determination helped her progress quickly.

As she mastered the fundamentals, Linh Chi advanced to more complex solo and pair performances. One of the biggest challenges, however, was the lack of international-standard ice rinks in Vietnam. The sport itself also remains underdeveloped domestically, making it difficult to find qualified coaches.

To overcome this, her family hired an overseas coach to provide online guidance. During long training sessions, her father recorded every movement on his phone to send for technical feedback.

Each year, Linh Chi and her brother also attended training camps in Japan, Australia and Thailand.

“There were periods when I spent more time on airplanes than at school,” she said.

To date, Linh Chi has won nine national gold medals and two gold medals at Asian competitions held in Indonesia and Thailand. She also became the first representative from Vietnam and Southeast Asia to compete in the Ice Dance category at the World Junior Championships.

In 2023, she was awarded the title of national master in figure skating and joined the national team.

Beyond skating, Linh Chi has pursued ballet, contemporary dance, music and painting. She won first prize in the Showcase Junior category at the Hanoi Stars Dance Festival.

Despite a demanding schedule - training five to six sessions per week, each lasting one to two hours - she has maintained stable academic performance.

“When I’m not competing, I try to manage my time carefully between training and studying so I don’t feel overwhelmed,” she said.

Earning admission to multiple US universities

Passionate about the arts, Linh Chi once dreamed of studying in the US to further develop her strengths. However, instead of pursuing a purely artistic path, she chose a more practical direction: Hospitality Management.

“I believe it’s important to choose the right major before choosing a university. A high-ranking school without a suitable program is not worth pursuing,” she explained.

Her years in the arts have helped her develop emotional sensitivity and the ability to connect with others - qualities she believes are essential in the service industry.

In her personal essay, Linh Chi shared her journey in figure skating and how she has spread that passion through teaching and volunteer work.

“I found joy in teaching skating to children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. I also participated in choreographing the ballet ‘Colors of Childhood’, one of the large-scale youth performances in Vietnam, and organized free classes in drawing and dance for hundreds of students,” she said.

To better understand her chosen field, she actively sought internship opportunities at a major hotel.

After school, she worked in the human resources department until 5 p.m., gaining insight into the operations of a five-star hotel and experiencing a professional working environment firsthand.

“That experience helped me understand the industry more clearly and strengthened my determination to pursue this path,” she added.

Although admitted to several top universities, Linh Chi chose New York University for its strong program in her chosen field. The city of New York, where the university is located, is also a global hub for hospitality, offering valuable opportunities for internships and career development.

She is set to leave for the US this August and plans to take part in pre-college courses before officially beginning her undergraduate studies.

Thuy Nga