Kim Ngân chụp ảnh cùng Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Trung Hiếu – Giảng viên ngành
Toán ứng dụng tại Trường Fulbright
Kim Ngan and Hong Ha officially graduated with Bachelor’s degrees in Applied Mathematics at the 2025 Commencement Ceremony. Beyond their shared passion for mathematics and AI technology, their outstanding academic and professional journeys are testament to how women are increasingly asserting their capabilities and making their mark in the STEM field.
Currently, Kim Ngan is working at Zalopay under Vietnam’s VNG Corporation—a company she has been with since her freshman year as a Management Trainee. Meanwhile, Hong Ha will continue her academic journey this September with a fully funded Ph.D. scholarship in Statistics and Data Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Courageous from the start: taking on a Management Trainee program since freshman year
Reflecting on her university years, Kim Ngan describes her experience as bold yet full of fortunate opportunities. She started her journey as a Product Management Trainee at ay during the summer of her first year. Before that, she had explored various courses and disciplines to find her true passion.
Early on at Fulbright, Ngan aspired to pursue Computer Science. However, through her studies—particularly the Statistical Learning course—she realized that a strong mathematical foundation was essential to deeply understand how machine learning models work. This insight led her to fall in love with Real Analysis, the first math course she truly enjoyed, and one that paved her way into Applied Mathematics. “What’s special about how Applied Math and Computer Science are taught at Fulbright is that the professors not only thoroughly explain each mathematical model but also help us understand how these model’s interconnect. That makes both learning and application much easier,” Ngan shared.
Her academic and professional paths complement each other. At the end of her first year, to complete an Exploratory Course in Human-Centered Engineering, she chose to enroll in “Intelligent Robot Studio: From Theory to Practice.” This course taught her how to build robot models, understand algorithmic logic, and even how electric cars like Tesla operate. Especially, after taking the course Data Analysis, Ngan began to envision the potential of AI and career opportunities in product management. With this newfound clarity, she confidently applied to the Zalopay Management Trainee program right after her first year.
Ngan and her Applied Math peers always supported one another in their academic journeys
alking about the challenges of balancing work and study over the past three years, Ngan emphasized her effort to manage both commitments. She made it a point to finish all her work tasks during office hours so she could focus on her coursework in the evenings. The challenges weren’t just about time; being the youngest employee in the company also posted its own difficulties. Yet it gave her a unique chance to learn and refine her skills through various projects.
Ngan credits the start of her journey to the support she received from Fulbright’s Applied Math faculty and her colleagues at Zalopay, especially her mentor Kim Hoang, who guided her throughout her work experience. Through this, she realized that age has never been a barrier in pursuing one’s career—what matters most is a willingness to learn, take initiative, and grow one’s professional network.
After a year of the training, Kim Ngan was promoted to a full-time employee and now holds the position of Product Owner. Her current goal is to integrate AI and machine learning into banking software features, aiming to optimize user experience. Despite balancing work and study for three consecutive years, Ngan graduated with distinction, earning a Cum Laude honor (top 20% of 2025 cohort).
Talent, Environment, and Connections—Keys to Student Success
Hong Ha is one of seven Fulbright Applied Mathematics students pursuing graduate school immediately after graduation. In February 2025, Ha was awarded a fully funded Ph.D. scholarship in Statistics and Data Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS—ranked 8th globally in the field). She also received another fully funded Ph.D. offer from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in the same field.
Over four years at Fulbright, Hong Ha has achieved remarkable accomplishments both academically and industrially: published a scientific paper, won a Bronze Medal at the 2023 Vietnam Chemistry Olympiad, graduated double major (Applied Mathematics and Computer Science) with Cum Laude, and works as a qualitative research assistant at Athena Studio.
In her first two years at Fulbright, Ha focused on Computer Science, drawn by transformative fields like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. She soon realized that to truly grasp the core of any machine learning model, a solid foundation in mathematics was crucial. Therefore, starting her third year, she decided to add a second major in Applied Mathematics to deepen her academic foundation. She recently graduated with a double major in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science.
Her graduate school application process began relatively late—only in August 2024 did she decide to pursue a research path. Ha described the application period as intense and anxiety-inducing since she had to manage school, research, work, and applications simultaneously.
In addition to the time crunch, Ha also struggled with self-doubt—questioning her own qualifications and feeling overwhelmed by the diverse requirements from different universities. However, thanks to the mentorship from Fulbright professors, especially Dr. Tran Vinh Linh and Dr. Huynh The Dang, she regained her confidence and pushed forward with her applications. “At Fulbright, class sizes are small and student-centered, so professors have the chance to really understand each student’s goals and help design a personalized pathway for them,” Ha added.
Hong Ha and her fellow Applied Math students with Dr. Tran Vinh Linh
Throughout her academic and professional journey, Ha has always aimed to excel in everything she commits to. She believes that one’s capability, environment, and connections are the key factors that determine how far someone can go. She also shares this message with young people—especially women pursuing STEM and Mathematics: don’t be afraid to take the leap and, above all, believe in yourself.
In addition to Hong Ha, two other female Applied Math students from Fulbright have also received fully funded scholarships to pursue master’s degrees at leading universities. These achievements further underscore Fulbright University Vietnam’s commitment to nurturing an inclusive environment where every student can reach their full potential.
Wishing Kim Ngan and Hong Ha continued success on the paths they’ve chosen!
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