The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Fall 2017 Academic Fellowship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, honored Le Thi Xuan Mai, a senior student from the School of Languages and Humanities at Tan Tao University (TTU).
Xuan Mai was one of only 18 Vietnamese young leaders selected to participate in a fully funded academic program in the United States for more than one month after earning the highly competitive YSEALI Fellowship. Established by former U.S. President Barack Obama, YSEALI aims to strengthen leadership capacity and regional connectivity among young leaders in ASEAN, deepen engagement on key regional and global challenges, and foster stronger people-to-people ties between the United States and Southeast Asia.
Choosing Tan Tao University as the Natural Path
Born and raised in Can Tho, Xuan Mai developed a deep appreciation for nature from an early age. As she grew older, she became increasingly involved in community service, particularly environmental protection and wildlife conservation initiatives.
Driven by these aspirations, she chose to pursue her studies at the School of Languages and Humanities, Tan Tao University, without hesitation. She understood that achieving her dream required teamwork, effective communication, and strong English proficiency to collaborate with people around the world and contribute to international non-governmental organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation.
TTU not only equipped her with the academic knowledge she needed but also nurtured her communication skills, self-confidence, critical thinking, and determination to pursue her goals.
Living by the motto “Life is not about waiting,” Xuan Mai made a bold decision while many of her peers applied to public universities. She chose TTU, a private university offering an American-style education. Although her parents initially worried about her decision, Mai believed that studying in a fully English-speaking academic environment would push her beyond her comfort zone and accelerate her language development. The enthusiastic support from both faculty members and classmates transformed learning into a lifelong passion.
By the end of her sophomore year, she devoted most of her free time to environmental and wildlife conservation projects in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces. Determined to raise public awareness about the illegal hunting of endangered species, she joined the Action for Wildlife Organization (AWO), Vietnam’s first youth organization dedicated to protecting endangered wildlife. Alongside fellow volunteers, she actively participated in campaigns advocating against the killing of species listed in Vietnam’s Red Data Book.
A Challenging Journey to the YSEALI Fellowship
Xuan Mai first learned about the YSEALI Fellowship in mid-2015 and immediately recognized it as an excellent opportunity to deepen her understanding of social issues, particularly environmental protection, a field she was deeply passionate about. However, at that time, she did not feel confident enough to apply and decided to wait until the following year.
In May 2016, she officially began her journey toward YSEALI. Balancing a demanding academic schedule, she was unable to prepare a strong application and was unsuccessful. Five months later, in October 2016, she tried again but did not achieve a better result.
Rather than becoming discouraged, Mai carefully reflected on each setback, analyzed the reasons behind her unsuccessful applications, and continually improved herself. Learning to slow down, think more critically, and expand her knowledge became valuable lessons from those experiences.
On her third attempt, she invested considerable time refining every aspect of her application, ensuring that it was informative, concise, and clearly presented. She regarded the personal essay as the most critical component of the application. Within only 500 words, applicants needed to introduce themselves convincingly, demonstrate why they deserved the scholarship, highlight their contributions to society, explain the impact they hoped to make on their communities, countries, and Southeast Asia, describe how they would benefit from the program, and articulate their commitment upon returning home.
Whether through her written application or the interview process, Mai believed that determination, clarity of purpose, maturity, adaptability, and strong communication skills all played vital roles in her success.
Reflecting on her experience, she shared:
“After nearly four years at TTU, I can confidently say that everything I experienced here has shaped who I am today.”
Although she had previously participated in English interviews, she still felt nervous during the YSEALI interview.
“Fortunately, TTU’s liberal arts education trained me to remain calm, think critically, adapt quickly, and stay confident in my choices.”
Her perseverance ultimately paid off when Le Thi Xuan Mai was officially selected as a YSEALI Fellow.
Looking Toward a Global Future
At the end of September, Xuan Mai departed for the United States, where she joined two other Vietnamese young leaders from Hanoi to study and participate in academic and cultural exchange activities at the East-West Center, University of Hawaiʻi.
Xuan Mai became the second TTU student to receive the prestigious YSEALI Fellowship. Previously, in 2015, Pham Hoang Man, valedictorian of TTU’s School of Economics, had also been awarded the scholarship.
Confident in the University’s educational quality, Mai concluded with a bright smile:
“With the quality of education that TTU provides today, I believe many more young leaders from our University will continue to emerge and make meaningful contributions in the years to come.”
Source: Minh Nguyen, adapted from Dân Trí.