1. Tell us about the achievement that you are proud the most?
I am proud of being one of the students to receive the category A scholarship from Aalto University. This
means that not only my tuition fees are paid, but it is also a guaranteed pass to a Master’s program at
Aalto University. Aside from the monetary perspective, what I gained from the time I spent aboard were
plenty. I had the chance to make deep connections with talented friends from all over the world. I had
the chance to do an exchange at SKEMA Business School at Master’s level (Program Grande Ecole – one
of the best programs in Supply Chain Management in France and in the world). During this exchange
period, I have studied SCOR metrics, Lean Six Sigma (that I gained the Green Belt certification and I plan
to take the Black Belt in the next few years), CPIM and PRINCE2 certification (currently in the learning
process). I have recently declined the offer to go on an exchange to Erasmus Rotterdam University to
have the chance to apply for a double degree (CEMS) at Aalto University.
From one achievement, now it has sprung into various opportunities. The scholarship has opened a new
chapter in my life. And now, I am standing on the edge of another, my first internship at Carlsberg
Vietnam.
2. Have you ever played leadership roles in class, club, university or organization?\
There are various times that I have played the leadership role, usually in group projects at school. The
leadership role is the role that has to be the most flexible and the most creative in managing a team. For
example, I was once in a multicultural team in devising a solution for cottage rentals in Mikkeli – the
town I studied in. The team consisted of 4 people at the time, one was Finnish, one was Chinese, one
was Estonian, and me. First problem was communication. Though we all understand English, the Chinese
one had difficulty in speaking, and we cannot even contact him in the first few days. I offered to be his
representative, and I assigned him the tasks of calculations that did not require language skills. Second
problem was that the Estonian student was overly enthusiastic about veganism, and he always tried to
bring a “vegan” aspect into the project even though it was about cottage – “the house by the lake”. As a
part of the democracy, we decided to vote. After giving it some thoughts, I voted for him as I found out a
“vegan weekend escape” can be a good theme for Finnish people – the ones who really cares about
health, beers, and saunas. After that I assigned him the job of detailing the events to attract people. My
job was monitoring, checking the progress of others, doing the powerpoints, assessing if new ideas fit
with our direction, raising objections, and keeping the team motivated. Though we did not ended up the
best team, I think it is one experience that I have benefited from, and it also reflected my leadership
skills.
