Five years ago, Nguyen Thi Sao Ly was awarded Ph.D. scholarships from eight prestigious American universities: MIT, Johns Hopkins, Cornell University, University of California San Diego, University of Chicago, Rice University, University of Texas Southwestern, and Baylor University. 

Overcoming more than 5,000 talented candidates, Sao Ly, from the central city of Da Nang, won a scholarship of US$400,000 from Johns Hopkins University, one of the world's top 5 schools in medical research. 

Previously, she was a valedictorian graduating in Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Explaining her choice to study Ph.D., Sao Ly described herself as a person engaged in academic research and manufacturing. "My personality is quite suitable for the research path," she said.

Sao Ly said she is not brave enough to see patients suffering from agony.

She told VietNamNet: "Pursuing a Ph.D. is not just going to study as many of my Vietnamese friends often think. The Ph.D. program takes 90% of your time working while the rest is for studying. After the first year of learning the basics to be a scientist, you must stick to the laboratory, performing experiments to solve unanswered scientific questions. At Hopkins, everyone has a mutual target that tackles existing issues, which means there is no competition. Therefore, nobody is left behind.”

While studying at the University of California and Johns Hopkins, Sao Ly strongly emphasized concentration and scheduled study. A well-prepared plan for each day is needed, especially for a busy bee like Sao Ly. She carefully built her profile by looking for opportunities to do research during her time at universities.

"It is important to take some time to reflect on whether you are right for that profession," Ly said, adding that one of the keys to receiving such a Ph.D. scholarship lies in the 4-year experience accumulating from professors at the University of California. 

For those who are passionate about pursuing a Ph.D. program, it is desirable to look for a supervisor from whom you can learn many lessons. 

Sao Ly said that she had three medical articles published in a prestigious scientific magazine in late 2021 and early 2022.

As the Covid-19 pandemic hit its peak in the US last year, the laboratories were closed, which frustrated her. She told herself that she could not be a couch potato anymore and some meaningful things should be done. That motivated Sao Ly to write her first scientific articles.

According to Sao Ly, optimism and positivity help her achieve her goals. "Although life is up and down, failures and difficulties are indispensable, there is always a way for us to learn. Success or failure is an expensive lesson, so we must keep an optimistic attitude in any circumstances to move on and conquer the path you have chosen," she said.

"Do not be afraid that 'I am not good enough’..."

Sao Ly participated in many volunteer activities to spread good things to the community. When she was a student at the University of California, Sao Ly was a key member of community clubs such as the Vietnamese Community Health Club in the US, Happy Teeth, and the Meals on Wheels organization.

In addition, with the SARE project spreading the passion for scientific research to students, Sao Ly has helped many young people who are keen on doing research but are held back from achieving their dreams. 

“Together with my companions, I planned for this project in 2020. However, the Covid 19 pandemic had temporarily put it on the shelf until I came back to Vietnam,” she said. Sao Ly hopes to re-conduct this project shortly.

With her academic achievements and inspirational activities, Sao Ly is one of the inspirational figures mentioned in the book "Vietnamese talents worldwide" and the program "Journey to America" of the Youth Association in the United States. 

The young Vietnamese woman from Da Nang is about to graduate with a doctorate at Johns Hopkins. In the near future, Sao Ly intends to focus on developing her career. Moreover, this year, she is expected to publish her first book on cancer information to the Vietnamese.

She claims that lots of recent scientific results have lost their exact meaning when interpreted. The fact that information is “distorted” makes people misunderstand science. 

Upon graduating from Johns Hopkins later this year, Sao Ly seeks to work at a large pharmaceutical company hoping that she will successfully create drug recipes for chronic diseases. This summer, she is on probation at Novartis - one of the three largest pharmaceutical companies worldwide, ranked 2nd in the top 30 leading pharmaceutical companies in 2020, according to the Evaluate Pharma report.

Finally, she would like to convey a message of encouragement: "Being confident is the key for you to step out of your comfort zone into the world environment. To follow your dreams and passions, you need to believe in your ability, never deny your potential self, and do not be afraid that I am not good enough. Get rid of inferiority every time you interact with other people better than you. Just follow your passion, believe in your path, and work hard to conquer it."

Phuong Uyen