Minh Dang – A Remarkable Development Path at Age 13

MINH DANG – A REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENT PATH AT AGE 13

At 13, a time of excitement, curiosity, and exploration…

I am an energetic and playful child who used to cry a lot because of my strict study and training schedules. I didn’t initially like tennis; I just thought it was a sport my parents enjoyed. Looking at peers, there were times when I would feel a pang of jealousy. However, to have the best development path, especially with tennis being part of the curriculum in high schools in the U.S., where I’ll start studying from 9th grade, I’ve set an “intensive and detailed” schedule with extraordinary goals for my age.

Tennis is my parents’ favorite sport, and they believe it can help shape my character by teaching responsibility, discipline, and how to manage emotions like top players do.

Tennis is an individual sport, so there are no teammates during training. There were times when I felt discouraged and didn’t want to continue practicing and competing. Despite this, Coach Tam Hao has always been there to help me through these moments, providing support and conversation. On some days, we would just sit and talk to help me mature in my thinking. Coach Tam Hao also arranged for me to train with other clubs where I could interact with peers at my level, learn from different players, and enhance my competitive spirit.

Since then, I’ve started focusing more on tennis. I’ve made tennis friends and competitors, and I’ve grown to enjoy the sport much more. However, while investing in tennis, academics remain my primary goal. I must complete all my cultural studies at VstarSchool and ensure my extra study hours meet classroom knowledge requirements.

Despite everything, my path at 13 is much like that of any other friend, though I can be a bit mischievous and disruptive. I continuously negotiate with my parents about balancing studies and training, but I understand that this is the way to grasp a bright development path ahead.

Daniel Diep – Minh Dang