On September 20th, 2019, Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU) celebrated its 22nd anniversary. I received an email from an old student: "... I'm Le Ngoc Giao. My youngest daughter just graduated on September 22nd, 2019. So we both graduated from the same university ... ".
In the joy of a father, I feel the joy about his child continuing his journey, the study one and future career path. His time of studying and graduating at TDTU was not easy; By the time his youngest child studied and graduated, the university required many higher output standards; assessment and measurement, and was more demanding in ethical and social responsibility. Yet his child enrolled and graduated on schedule in an environment he trusted. It is clear that his child has continued on her father's path and that "the child has surpassed the father”.
Every year, at the enrollment of new students, I often meet many former students or current students who bring their younger brothers or sisters to the admissions office. I am happy about this because the appreciation and beliefs of the people who have been studying at TDTU are the most vivid examples of the good things that TDTU has to offer to our students and parents.
As for the father, I remember his part time class of the Business Administration major, admitted in 2006. At that time, there were many older people studying at night and working during the daytime, including student Le Ngoc Giao. At that time, he was young and active in the activities of the Class and University. On April 29th, 2011, he was shining in his graduation uniform with an Excellent degree, a Trophy, a Certificate of merit from the University and lots of flowers. It is not easy at TDTU when the number of excellent graduates every year is only around 2 to 6% of the total number of new bachelors, engineers and architects; and he managed to achieve this scholastic feat while working to care for his family.
In 2015, he persuaded his daughter to enroll in TDTU; and 4 days ago, his daughter also was honored to step on the stage to receive the degree like him 8 years ago. He attended, as a parent, with a lot of emotions interwoven with happiness and nostalgia.
In the letter to me, he wrote: “For me personally, the fact that the father and child study and graduate under the same university has a profound meaning and it is a very beautiful memory of my life. I, my family and all generations of Ton Duc Thang University students would like to extend our deep gratitude to all the teachers. We wish you lots of health and happiness. We pledge to do our best to always be proud of being a student at Ton Duc Thang University.”
I am delighted to share the happiness with his family.
I still remember another Graduation Ceremony at TDTU with 3 people from the same family coming to the Stage for receiving their Bachelor's Degrees on the same day. The father at that time was the Secretary of the Party of a commune; the mother is the President of the Fatherland Front of a District. The couple studied part time at university because they were current officials. They studied at Bau Thanh Cultural Center of Long Dien District, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. The husband, wife and their child went to university together. The child studied at Tan Phong Campus, HCMC. On the graduation day, the family received the degrees and took pictures together. The sad thing is, the father passed away now. The child is mature and has a good career.
Many families are like that. Father-child, mother-child, brothers-and-sisters ... studied and graduated at TDTU together.
Many people visiting TDTU said that if they knew about the University early, they would only send their children here to study, nowhere else. Someone said, "If you come here and learn about this university, you just want your children to study here". That is why many alumni have brought their relatives to study at TDTU. This succession is not only the succession of the belief about the education and quality requirement of TDTU; about the philosophy that the University is following: "Quality and Reliability"; but also the future succession because TDTU's output standards and quality requirements for students in the coming years are always higher than the previous ones. The family is blessed if the children surpass their father. As more and more people studying at TDTU continue to recommend that their children should and must go to the university, the first is that the quality of the country's human resources viewed from the heart and talent perspective will become higher and higher; and the second is that TDTU will keep growing with something new every day, and stepping into another level every year; which always brings creativity and inspiration to humanity, and to the country.
A growing continuum with endless time and space!
