“It was the decision to join VietSeeds in 2017 that nurture and support my confidence in working in the field of education.” 

🌻 That's the share of Ms. Ha Phuong - a familiar "mami" face with VietSeeds Saigon’s staff and students. She is currently a Senior Admissions Officer at Fulbright University Vietnam. Ms. Phuong joined VietSeeds in July 2017 as the first full-time employee of the organization. After that, she has held many roles and has been with VietSeeds until now as a core volunteer. Let's hear her sharing in this episode of "Humans of VietSeeds"! 

Q: What are the 3 adjectives that best describe your "work" at VietSeeds? 

A: For me, VietSeeds is not only "work" but also a place like “home” where I can spread the spirit of "Pay It Forward". Therefore, no matter how busy I am, I will always accompany VietSeeds in every enrollment season, or when any Seed needs me. 

Q: I noticed on your Facebook there is a very brief description: “a vivid observer”. Do you regularly "observe" at VietSeeds a lot and what is the most "vivid" thing you have seen in VietSeeds students? 

A: To be honest, Seeds have more impact on me than what I can bring to them! I am not only “touched” by the Seeds’ stories, but also inspired a lot by many "silent heroes" in the great VietSeeds family - who are doing their best to contribute to the community. Those have their own difficulties but are always willing to share the burdens and pain of others. Those are the "super-moms" who always have to wear multiple hats as an officer, mother, and wife and barely have time for themselves but are always available when any Seed needs support. Or those are the young professionals still trying to define their own career paths – like me, choosing not to spend our whole timetable for work but to share time to nurture the seeds. In particular, there are many easier options to give a hand to someone, but everyone in VietSeeds shares the same belief in education - that is building a decent non-profit organization is a way to pursue effective altruism. 

Q: What are the biggest challenges and greatest joys of being a “mami”? 

A: I was lucky to have met lots of kind people helping me out on my journey of growing up and getting to better understand myself. Therefore, I would like to give a hand to young people, who are just like me in the past, as a way of gratitude. Although meeting new people is quite challenging for an introvert like me, I still hope that when the Covid epidemic is under control, I can meet and connect with more Seeds. Actually, during the last Tet holiday, I have understood more about the stories of those who had just joined VietSeeds thanks to the small Reflection & Resolution Challenge. 

Q: Have you ever felt “disconnected” from your teammates? 

A: I think that not only me but also the students themselves when we lose connection with ourselves, we will also lose connection with the relationships around us. The important thing is we should realize we are “being disconnecting”, make time for self-reflection, and set a deadline to “connect again”. It's okay to not be okay, don't be too hard on yourself. 

Q: Is there any lesson that you think Seeds should learn every day? 

A: Observe yourself! Just like how we need to observe our own breath when we practice meditation. Observing yourself is to practice self-reflection exercises after every meeting with mentors, or after participating in certain training. Every day we receive too much information and we need to separate useful information for our own development from the noise that is harmful to mental health. All of these things, if we don't pay attention to observe, we will be overcharged because of this stressful life cycle. This is extremely important at this stage when our perceptions are just mirrors, reflecting what we take in, and affected by so many conflicting streams of thought. 

Q: How do you imagine VietSeeds will be in the next 5-10 years? 

A: I believe that VietSeeds in the next 5-10 years will become more and more professional in our operations. I also believe that current Seeds will sprout, bloom brilliantly and return to the “old garden” to help the next generation of Seeds. 

Q: Is there anything you would like to say to everyone in the VietSeeds community? 

A: Kudos to all of the students who are constantly fighting the odds to become better versions of themselves. Hats off to super-moms, to dedicated people who are patiently changing lives in an effort to harness the extraordinary potential of youth to address critical challenges of the nation. Together we will build a legacy community to create more inspiring stories.