After 10 years of studying in the USA, Nguyen Thi Sao Ly from Da Nang is nurturing a dream of introducing the Summer Academic Research Experience (SARE) project to disadvantaged children in the city, and Viet Nam as a whole.

Nguyen Thi Sao Ly

Born in Da Nang in 1993, Sao  Ly went to the USA for studying as she was only 16 years old.

“Like other international students studying in the USA, I have faced learning difficulties, and lacked confidence in speaking and taking a proactive role in classrooms”, Sao Ly shared.

The 26-year-old girl added, over the past 10 years, she has always spent her time on improving her English skills by reading English books before going to bed, studying English on the phone, and chatting with her foreign friends.

Thanks to her conscious efforts in the USA, Sao Ly has gained significant study results.

During her studying at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the Da Nang native girl conducted a research into a drug that can help alleviate diseases relating to blood vessel disorders, including vision loss, cancer, and metastases. Her research was presented at GTCbio’s Modern Drug Discovery and Development Summit in 2015, and a scientific conference organised at UCLA in 2016.

Currently, Sao Ly is a postgraduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the USA. She is now conducting another research about molecular mechanisms of cellular mechanics and their role in pancreatic cancer.

She presented this research at the Faculty of Cell Biology of the USA-based Johns Hopkins University in 2018 and 2019, and at the Viet Nam-UK Research and Training Institute of the University of Da Nang in June 2019.

“In the next time, I will introduce this research at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in Washington DC” Sao Ly said.

At the Global Young Vietnamese Scholars Forum 2019 in Ha Noi in November, the Da Nang native girl received high appreciation from participating experts for her SARE education model.

Developed by Prof. Douglas Robinson, SARE seeks to develop exceptional high school students from low-income and diverse backgrounds, by introducing them to biomedical research. The students who go through the program are known as ‘SARE Scholars’. SARE provides its scholars with a unique exposure to modern scientific research, combined with additional tutoring to fortify academic skills.

To date, 92% of our scholars to have reached college age have matriculated into 4-year college programs with nearly 100% receiving partial or full financial support, and 59% have chosen STEM or health-related majors. SARE also has nearly a 70% college completion rate by five years post high school graduation, which compares favorably to the 14% national average for students from low-income backgrounds.

During the event, Sao Ly highlighted the importance of SARE in improving the quality of education in the country’s educational sector, especially pre-university education system. This can help school pupils develop their passions and identify their careers early.

“Most recently, I and my SARE project have received a lot of support from staff involed in the educational sector. I’m appealing for financial aid from study encouragement associations, and sponsors from both home and abroad in order to pilot the project in Da Nang in the near future”, Sao Ly emphasised.

By THIEN LAM - Translated by MAI DUNG