A letter to HIBS

In a small, cold room under the humid sky, far away from all that I knew of my hometown, I write this letter in a potluck of mixed feelings.

It had been one full month since my arrival at the United States. Not my first time, yet the suspense of going to a state I was unknown of was indeed a scary notion. The moment the plane landed and my foot set upon the concrete ground of Tampa Intl’ Airport, I knew that the next chapter of my life had begun.

No more will there be clean clothes readily waiting for me every Monday. No more will there be chattering of my mother tongue around me. No more will the sun rise at 6 and set at 6. This here is a new horizon, a horizon of new things, new friends, new barriers - a horizon I must expand towards.

Life treated me well on my journey however, as I have met great people who have helped and guided me on my journey both in Vietnam and the United States. Back at home, my parents, classmates, my teachers; here, my professors, advisors, counselors, and fellow international students. They all motivated me to strive for my best and I did!

My life in the United States have been well. I have learnt to organize my life bit by bit. I had to learn to do my own laundry, to clean my own room, to wake myself up in the morning, and through all that I have felt myself growing day by day. I am always the earliest to class, something unachievable back in high school. I decorated my own room, made my own bed, and walked myself to class everyday. This, I believe, is a good start to an independent life.

Education-wise, I have been able to catch up with my class curriculum despite its heavy load. I was fortunately accepted as a member of the Honors College. This equals lots of opportunities for me to be a global citizen. I get to learn the subjects that are unique to Honors students like Philosophy, African Cultures, etc. and get to discuss actively in class unlike the typical class format. I get to explore new and exciting subjects while still able to aim towards my Mathematics degree. However, all of this would not have been possible if it wasn’t for HIBS’ extensive foreign curriculum.

HIBS had been preparing us for these overseas opportunities. By teaching us science in both Vietnamese and IGCSE curriculums, the teachers exposed us to many different fields of knowledge both national and international. This allowed me to have to upper hand in my current classes, allowing me to ace through the quizzes. Through Horizon school, I was offered world-class education in a village-like environment where anyone knew everyone. We were a community, a close-knit one at best. This proved to be highly beneficial for the teamwork environment prevalent in the States.

But studying is not the entire college experience. For my social life, I was able to join many clubs that appealed to my hobbies. Using my experience in Vietnam from the various clubs and organizations I’ve joined, I was able to find myself bonding closely with the people I share interests with. I am currently a member of the USF Taekwondo club, finally picking up the sport again in 8 years; I current am applying to a magazine club here to better hone my skills; and over here, I am planning to work as an Orientation leader to help new students adjust to life in the States.

Back in Vietnam, I used to work as a writer and editor for the student magazine called Minus Utopia; I also helped organize the 2-week long eTest Science Camp. Furthermore, in school, with help from my friend Khai and my teacher Mr. Michael, I was able to found the first debate club in school (DB8) and helped train HIBS students for the World Scholar’s Cup. Due to my inexperience at that time, we were not able to win the prizes we wished for, but the club showed great potential for future pursuits.

But all this would not have been possible without my mentors. My teachers have been a cornerstone for my success. They taught us, guided us with all their love and passion. They nurtured our curiosity and built upon it monuments of knowledge. They peered into our talents and showed us lessons in a way that everyone in class would love.

I am thankful for my years at HIBS. Thank you teachers for giving me a strong intellectual foundation so that I may construct my own academic feats. Thank you staff of HIBS for your quiet devotion to the school and to the wellbeing of students. Thank you administration board for your constant effort to improve our school day by day. Thank you Mr. Tai for your stern yet friendly attitude to us students, and thank you for not taking my phone that time when I was waving it in front of the camera. Thank you Mr. Yoldas and Ms. Quí for your care as we transitioned into adulthood.

And thank you HIBS for being my family for the past 7 years. Here’s to another year full of joy in the Horizon gang!

***Truong Quoc Chien , HIBS Alumni 2018 got the highest amount of scholarship possible for international  freshmen from University of South Florida