Bournemouth University graduate and educationalist, Nhan Van Do, has made the national shortlist stage of the Study UK Alumni Awards, run by the British Council.

The Alumni Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of international alumni who have studied at a UK higher education institution. Entrants are shortlisted in each country where awards ceremonies are held before finalists are selected to compete in the global competition.

Nhan, from Vietnam, graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business and Management from BU in 2015 before going on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge in 2020. He has been shortlisted among other Vietnamese entrants for the Social Action Award.

Reflecting on his career journey to date, Nhan said: “After graduating from BU I began working as a digital marketing analyst by day and as an English language teacher by night. I had intended to climb the career ladder in the marketing industry until a severe car accident caused me to reconsider. I realised that life is short and began to ask myself what I really wanted to do. I believe that education is a key driver to boosting Vietnam’s economy and this led me to launch Tutorin; a project that leverages technology to provide high-quality education to all Vietnamese students, no matter where they live.”

Through Tutorin, Nanh engaged qualified teachers living in larger, urban areas, to deliver real-time lessons to students from rural areas via a virtual classroom called ClassIn. When Covid-19 led to a greater demand for interactive, virtual learning, Nanh became the Chief Operating Officer of ClassIn. The organisation has since served nearly one million students and 23,000 teachers and collaborated with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training to provide a free learning platform to 75,000 high-school students.

When asked how a UK education has helped to shape his career to date, Nanh said: “Getting a world-class education at two UK universities helped me refine my critical and creative thinking skills. I am now able to see the bigger picture, spot opportunities for growth and get ahead of market trends. The UK alumni network also plays a crucial role and I have met lifelong friends and business partners via UK alumni events. It is undeniable that studying in the UK makes my CV stand out to prospective employers.”

We wish Nhan the very best of luck in the next rounds of the Study UK Alumni Awards.