INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EMPOWERS UNDERPRIVILEGED STUDENTS

If Mai Thuong – a disadvantaged student from Quang Tri province, Vietnam – hadn’t chosen to study IT, she would have encountered many difficulties finding a  job in her hometown due to her weak physical condition.

In May, Mai Thuong and two other students from Central Vietnam successfully secured a 4-month internship with a program organized by Katalon Studio (a product incubated by KMS Technology) in partnership with the Non-governmental Organization Passerelles numériques Vietnam (PNV). The sponsorship covered all the expenses, including round trip flights from Danang to Ho Chi Minh city, living expenses, and training for their four months living in Ho Chi Minh city.

Hardships don’t hinder passion

Born in a poor village of Quang Tri province with congenital leg defects, Le Thi Mai Thuong (22 years old) suffered many limitations compared to her friends. Due to her family’s financial difficulties, her mother has to work hard to raise Thuong and her sister. Her family’s income is quite unstable, relying mainly on a 1500 square meter paddy field.

The first time Thuong learned about computers in secondary school, she was excited and became interested in it immediately. The more she learned, the more she wanted to explore. Her passion was so strong that she hoped to become a qualified IT engineer in the future. However, this felt like just a dream because Thuong never thought she would be able to receive proper training from a professional institute to become an IT engineer.

Luckily, the door to a brighter future opened up to Thuong when she was granted a scholarship by Passerelles numériques Vietnam (PNV), which covered all her living and education expenses for three years.

“I was so happy when I got the news. From now on, my future will be more secure. I can get a proper education without bothering my mom with the tuition,” Mai Thuong shared.

To secure the internship at Katalon, Mai Thuong and other interns put a lot of effort into the application process. She passed many rounds of interviews with Katalon’s teams, which evaluated both her technical and soft skills. Katalon maintains its high recruitment standards to ensure that they select qualified talent and provide them with the opportunity to sharpen their skills in a corporate environment. 

Taking part in developing international standard software

Mai Thuong joined Katalon as an intern for the software testing team for Katalon Studio. In the first month, she learned about the product, its system, and its protocols. After her training, she worked directly with developers and other related teams.

With her positive performance, Mai Thuong was entrusted with major tasks and played vital roles in the project’s development.

“Before joining Katalon, I thought I would only be assigned minor tasks, mainly to get myself accustomed to the job. But when I worked here, I was treated as an official employee who was responsible for actual tasks, which was beyond my expectations,” Mai Thuong shared about her work experience at Katalon.

The more involved she was, the more she realized what she was lacking when she was at college. Thanks to the internship at Katalon and the dedicated support of her colleagues, she got the chance to improve her soft skills beyond technical knowledge. For example, she was often encouraged by her mentor to present in front of her teammates about her work.

“At the beginning, I was afraid that I would be discriminated against due to my lack of expertise. But gradually, with positive feedback received from my team, I surpassed my insecurities and became more confident.”

Mai Thuong’s days at Katalon brought her not only knowledge about the IT industry but also unforgettable memories with her coworkers. Ever since the very first day, she was warmly welcomed by her colleagues. Her mentor took great care of her personal life such as teaching her how to commute using the bus and regularly checking on her new life in Ho Chi Minh City, knowing that this was her first time setting foot in such a big city.

 

“My internship at Katalon is such a remarkable milestone in my life. I had a chance to learn many new things and improve myself significantly. As the end of my internship is approaching, if destiny allows, I would be very delighted to continue my journey here; otherwise, I am already blessed for the opportunity of having met and worked with my colleagues at Katalon,” Mai Thuong shared.

It would be incomplete not to mention the benefit Thuong had when working in such a multicultural environment. She got to know many cultures which helped her look at things with a more well-rounded and diverse perspective. Additionally, it was also a great opportunity for her to meet, work, and interact with excellent students from prestigious domestic and foreign universities.

“We believe that giving back to society means more than just providing financial support. It also means creating sustainable changes that give these students the chance to walk on their own feet in the future. I believe that the knowledge and skills they have acquired during their internship at Katalon will be a valuable “fishing rod” for them to gain future success,” said Mr. Tran Kien Uy – Managing Director of Katalon.

This article was originally published by Zing News.