Khmer ethnic student and her journey to shine at Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition has been opening doors of development for all students, especially those from disadvantaged groups, such as ethnic minority students who often have fewer opportunities to access creative playgrounds.

Overcoming barriers, reaching success

As one of the few Khmer ethnic students currently studying at Him Lam Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities in Hau Giang, Huynh Lieu Thuy Truc was always shy and self-conscious about her background.

But everything changed when Truc officially became one of the three members of the Small Warriors team participating in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2024. Together with her teammates, she excellently won First Prize in Category A with the project “Application of smart technology in breeding and raising rare insects.”

“I am grateful to my teachers and the program for giving me the opportunity to learn, practice, and become a better version of myself,” Thuy Truc shared.

Living dozens of kilometers from school, Truc often had to rely on her parents to take her back and forth during the busy project days, sometimes leaving early and returning late. However, her passion for technology and determination to overcome challenges helped Truc and the Small Warriors achieve success.

Recalling the journey to the championship, Truc said that she and her teammates had to self-learn many new areas such as electrical circuits and modules, as well as practice presentation, teamwork, and time management skills. Remarkably, the three young girls even designed and assembled machines themselves, conducted experiments, and fixed errors whenever problems arose.

“Technical work was truly a tough challenge for us female students, but fortunately we always received dedicated support from Samsung’s mentors and invaluable guidance from our teacher,” Truc said.

For Truc, the most valuable reward from the competition was the chance to participate in nationwide training programs organized by Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. Here, Truc and her teammates not only honed soft skills and learned how to build business models, but also mastered the art of effective presentation.

These lessons and skills have become a precious foundation, giving Truc and her team greater confidence and readiness to realize their dreams.

Returning from the competition, Truc has become more confident, bold, and open. She and the Small Warriors members are now actively sharing design thinking knowledge with students at their school, helping to spread the spirit of creativity to the community.

“I hope more ethnic minority students will have the chance to join competitions like Solve for Tomorrow. This is not only an opportunity to learn and grow, but also to prove that we – ethnic minority students – can do it, and even do it very well, if given the opportunity,” Truc said with pride and hope.

For Truc and thousands of other students, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is not just a competition, but a life-changing journey, helping them overcome social barriers to reach success.

“What I am most proud of is not the award itself, but the remarkable progress, confidence, and resilience that the students have gained. They will inspire the next generation of our school,” said Ton Phuoc Nguyen, teacher and mentor of the Small Warriors team.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow: A door of opportunity for every student

The story of Huynh Lieu Thuy Truc and the Small Warriors is a vivid example of the mission of Solve for Tomorrow: “No one is left behind.”

By creating an equal playground, Samsung is empowering the younger generation – especially ethnic minority students who often have fewer opportunities – to not only dream but also turn great ideas into reality.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow was first launched globally in 2010 in the United States. In Vietnam, the competition was first held in 2019. Since then, it has become an annual creative thinking playground for secondary and high school students aged 12 to 18.

Since its launch in Vietnam in 2019, the competition has achieved outstanding results. From just about 500 participants in its first year, after six years the number has grown more than 300 times, with a total of over 150,000 students. In addition, nearly 2,300 submissions have been received from secondary and high schools nationwide, helping Solve for Tomorrow maintain its position as one of Samsung Vietnam’s most notable corporate social responsibility initiatives.

In 2024, with the goal of popularizing STEM knowledge, for the first time within Solve for Tomorrow, the “Solve for Tomorrow Bus” was organized. This bus traveled more than 8,000 kilometers, reaching and offering technology and science experiment experiences to over 10,000 students across all three regions – North, Central, and South.

This special bus not only provided a real science playground for students, but also served as a bridge to spread creativity and love for science to students across Vietnam, especially in areas with limited access to modern education.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 will soon be launched, promising to continue bringing more opportunities for learning and experience to students nationwide.