Personal Statement (global Innovation Studies in Toyo University)

I am Giap Thi Minh Hang, born in 1999 in Vietnam, which has long been well known for the variety of agriculture crops and the diligence of people. In this personal statement, I am in the hope for pursuing Global Innovation Studies in Toyo University. I believe such studies will benefit me in my career and my whole life.

I was graduated at Luc Ngan so 1 High School, which is a local school of the district. During the early time at high school I was not an outstanding student. However, as time passing by, I had found out the effective way to further my knowledge. Myself as a student, I learn best by listening to the tutors in classes, doing teamwork activities, studying extra at home and also seeking for other experiences. For instance, I’ve improved my English by this way of studying. When I first got into the high school, my English ability was at a moderate level, grammar and reading comprehension was average, listening and speaking was extremely poor. I knew that I was not good enough yet I did not feel discouraged at all. I followed those methods I mentioned above to improve my English skills and that actually worked so well. I don’t say that I’m excellent but I can now confidently communicate with others in English.

I have also participated in a number of volunteer activities in my neighborhood and also my university. Those tasks gave me interesting experiences in teamwork, leadership and case management. I was a volunteer for the Ulis Job Fair, an event similar to job hunting yet it is also a place for business to promote the brand. My job was to contact the companies that would appear on Job Fair day and supported them throughout the program. Our event run smoothly until a sudden thunderstorm appeared with hard rain. Although this situation has not been predicted yet, I made myself calm and gathered my team to fix the problem. We split up, called the repair staff and erected big umbrellas while reassuring staff and students. After about an hour, it stopped raining and the event was on schedule. After the show, we as a team have been praised and certified by the event organizers.

Overall, through years of learning and volunteering made me realize that life is a learning experience and being able to recognize my own strengths and weaknesses can help me become a better version of myself in anything I choose to do.

Energetic and enthusiastic have always been a strong attribute of mine. I always wanted to share my ideas with others and get their feedback. I always tell myself: do not choose to live comfortably in the years you can suffer. Another strength of mine is the ability to observe. I believe there is no detail or action that is unrelated. I try to notice everything, seeing all events as part of a great mystery puzzle called life. I see those strengths most clearly when I set up the “Loving wardrobe” project. I came up with that idea when I and my mother went to the town market and saw lots of poor people did not wear warm enough in the very cold weather. My heart urged me to find a solution and the "Loving Wardrobe" was born.

On the contrary, I still have some weaknesses to improve. Firstly, I am very sensitive and caring about other people's emotions, causing me a lot of stress. My mind has often gone blank because of over thinking. Still, I cannot deny that lack of social experience is a challenge. I have not had much social experience; hence studying at Toyo will open new doors, inspiring me to never stop learning.