20 years ago, a woman in Ke’Bra village (Tan Nghia Commune, Di Linh District, Lam Dong Province) became pregnant. The witch said that she was possessed by a demon and that she had to leave the village so that no disaster would happen to the village. The entire village also believed this so they pressured the family to abort the poor fetus.

Luckily, contrary to what the doctor had said, the fetus was still alive and was born healthy. The mother liked her strong daughter very much so she named her Xuan.


The powerful sorceress said that Ka Xuan was a demon and the villagers did not dare to think otherwise. The girl, living in the middle of a poor village, was constantly ill.
Ca Juan’s mother became seriously ill and died before she could speak, causing the villagers and her father to believe the medicine man’s words more.
People say that Ka Juan is a “comet”. Ever since his mother died, his father became depressed and addicted to alcohol. Every time he got drunk, he would return home and vent his anger on Ca Juan. He and his siblings had to “die or die” countless times at the hands of their father.

Ka Xuan has been accustomed to working as a hired labor since childhood to earn money to go to school
Xuan grew up in fear. Every step in the house is quiet for fear that dad will hear. Xuan did not dare to step into the village because everyone was afraid of the evil curse placed on him.
Ca Juan’s childhood was marked by violence in places that were considered the most peaceful. At school, Xuan finds happiness. Unlike other children in the village, she studies best and plays the piano best.

Ka Xuan, guitar and happy moments with new friends in the dormitory
“I like guitar but I’m good at piano. You know what? Because I don’t have money to buy a guitar, and the piano is available at the church, so I always ask them to practice.” Difficulties have forced Ka Xuan to rely on his passions and interests.
Referring to Xuan’s studies, teacher Nguyễn Đại Mai (Di Linh High School, Xuan’s former homeroom teacher) felt sad: “Poor girl. I remember once Xuan didn’t come to class for a whole week. I Contacted her to find her. Understanding the reason, Xuan on the other end of the phone burst into tears and said: “I want to go to school, can you lend me money for tuition?” I work But I promise to go and pay you soon.”
When we met and talked in person, she confessed that she had to drop out of school to earn money to pay tuition, but there were very few jobs at the time, so Xuan couldn’t make enough money. Xuan said that time was too stressful to tell the teacher everything.”
Xuan’s face is fresh, different from the pressures she faces every day. Looking at Xuan it is easy to believe that she is a skilled worker rather than a new student. “After finishing school, I went straight to a part-time job. I cleaned dishes for pho restaurants and cleaned rooms for hotels. Few people do these jobs, so the pay is higher, so I went to There is enough money to support school and my elder sister, who is a woman.” Schoolgirl” – Xuan said.

Pho restaurant in Di Linh city (Di Linh District, Lam Dong Province) where Ca Xuan has come to work every weekend and holidays for many years
Xuan usually comes home after 10 pm and studies until 3 am the next morning. She admitted: “In my village, girls don’t study much anymore, so I don’t get support from my father or relatives when I go to school. I choose to work late and study late because midnight I won’t listen to anyone say anything that will hurt me.” Stop it”.

Ca Xuan holds the guitar and sings her favorite song – Video clip: Mai Vinh

Xuan has five elder siblings and one younger brother. Xuan was supposed to go to university in 2021, but she took a temporary leave to work to earn money to support her sister Ka Hau (who was studying her second year of medicine at Tay Nguyen University, Dak Lac at the time). Roop agreed to leave school.
In 2021, when Xuan graduates from high school, Ka Hou will enter her internship period. Hospital duty hours take up all of her spare time, leaving Hou unable to take care of living and study expenses.
Xuan quietly went to Ho Chi Minh City. Although he passed the university entrance examination, instead of enrolling, Xuan went straight to Binh Tan to work as a worker. With an employee’s salary of 7 million VND, Xuan struggled to send him more than half, leaving only 1 million for daily food as he still had to spend 2 million for rent and transportation.
At first, Xuan’s job was just packaging products, but gradually Xuan also worked as a porter. Due to carrying heavy boxes every day, his hands were often sprained. Xuan endured the pain because he loved his sister and also loved his college dream. At the factory, Xuan wanted to go to school.

In late March 2023, with the money she saved, Xuan moved to Dak Lak to live with her sister. The two sisters rented a small room and asked each other to study and work at the same time. During this time, Xuan started studying for the exam to be able to participate in the 2023 high school graduation exam.

Taking advantage of the break, Ka Xuan reviews foreign languages
As a result, Xuan scored 26.5 points in Block C and full marks in 10 history subjects. This achievement helped Xuan pass the social work major at Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities. “I chose this field because it is good. It taught me how to mobilize social resources to help people in trouble” – Xuan shared.

Ka Xuan arrives in Ho Chi Minh City to prepare for entry
Xuan said that when she was young, her dream was to become a music teacher. But as she grew up and observed the life around her, she had a strong desire to become a professional social worker, to contribute to raising awareness among people in remote areas.
When asked if Xuan had prepared enough money to go to school, Xuan smiled and said: “Don’t worry. Applying to work as a restaurant waiter sometimes doesn’t work, But if you apply to clean the kitchen or wash dishes, you are needed everywhere and the salary is higher. I’m used to it, I’ll figure it out.”

Ka Xuan hesitated for a long time before deciding to buy new shoes so that she could work part-time at the wedding restaurant in accordance with the regulations.



Please register for the 2023 Relay to School Scholarship here
Mai Vinh – Thanh Hien
Mai Vinh – Phuong Quanyen
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