VietNamNet Bridge – Most of the winners at the “Road to Olympia,” a competition annually held for high school excellent students went studying abroad and settled down there after the university graduation.

Tran Ngoc Minh was a student of the Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted in Vinh Long province when she became the champion of the first competition in 2000.

After the sweet victory, she left for Australia to study at Swinburne University on the $35,000 scholarship, which was the award for the competition’s winner. There she excellently finished the training course on information technology and telecommunication, became one of a few people awarded the full scholarship for the PhD training course at the school.

During her study at Swinburne, Minh actively participated in social activities. In 2005, Minh became the Marketing Director of Open Your Hearts, a donation organization aiming to help disable children in Australia.

After getting the doctorate, Minh has been working for a telco in Australia. The small girl with brilliant smile got married in January 2013.

Phan Manh Tan, a student from Ha Tinh province, the second champion won the laurel wreath in 2011. Like Minh, Tan soon became a student of Swinburne University.

Tan said the championship made a breakthrough in his life because it has led Tan to what he is today. The competition has also created big changes in this thoughts and the way he looks into life.

Tan has been living and working in Australia for the last 12 years. He is now the father of a 3-year old son, while he and his wife are expecting the second child. He has completed the doctoral research program and has been working for IBM Melbourne in Australia for the last three years.

Tan said there are many Olympians in Australia. Some of them went there on the competition’s scholarship; others’ studies have been funded by other organizations. All of them keep regular contacts.

The competition’s champions all studied at Swinburne and they have been close friends. A football team has been set up with the members mostly from the Olympian in Swinburne University. They gather at least once a year, sending greetings from Australia, watching the ongoing competition in Vietnam, and solving the questions.

Le Vu Hoang is one of the champions who had the strong impression among the audience watching the competition on TV. The poor student from Quang BInh province had to make great efforts to reach to the laurel wreath of the sixth competition.

Hoang joined the competition when his mother was seriously sick and hospitalized. However, the story had a happy ending: Hoang became the champion, while the mother recovered after the successful operation.

The student from Bo Trach High School then surprised people with his iron will and strong belief in victory. A lot of people then burst into tears when Hoang was named as the winner of the competition.

Hoang finished his university study at Swinburne University and has got a stable job in Australia. He has been following a doctoral research program for three years. After seven years of coming to Australia, the Olympian got married in February 2013. Both Hoang and his wife have been living and working in Australia.

Tri Thuc Tre