Proud to Be HUFLITers #02 | Phùng Cẩm Ly – From the Definition of “Brilliance” to Touching the Champion Title 03 Times

Peer pressure behind the lecture-hall door

People usually see a Cẩm Ly full of mettle taking charge of big playgrounds, making her mark with 03 champion awards: Champion of the MICs Up contest, Champion of The MIC presenter contest and Champion of the Emulation Bloc 17 Debate Contest for the 2025–2026 academic year. But few know that just a few months earlier, that was a completely different version.

Originally a dynamic, lively girl who loved to soar, the threshold of university brought Cẩm Ly a huge psychological “freeze”. Stepping into the vast university environment, looking left and right, seeing everyone talented, everyone with their own strength to shine, the 18-year-old girl suddenly became timid.

“I didn’t know how to fit in, how to connect, and how to have my identity recognised without being dissolved.” – Ly recalled.

Amid a dynamic HUFLIT collective, an invisible fear invaded the new student’s mind. Afraid of not becoming someone to be proud of, afraid of being faded, and the most haunting question repeated itself every night: “What if I am not brilliant for my whole life? Who am I really in this vast world?”

When you don’t “rescue” your own thoughts, no one does it for you

The moment she realised that bewilderment was gradually eroding her youthful enthusiasm, Cẩm Ly understood: She had to step out of her comfort zone herself. And she chose to face her fear directly – registering to join the HUFLIT MICs Club.

It was not just picking up a device to speak, but the moment Cẩm Ly reclaimed initiative for her youth. Right from the first bewildered days, Ly was drawn into the “flame” of the seniors and friends at HUFLIT MICs. There, no one is left behind.

“What touched my heart most was that HUFLIT MICs was like a second family. In the moments I was most self-conscious and doubtful of myself, the seniors were always there to embrace those flaws and encourage me to keep going. That tolerance was the greatest motivation for Cẩm Ly to dare to try, dare to venture and dare to stand under the stage lights.”

The HUFLIT launchpad: Where “pressure” makes way for the freedom to express one’s character

For a timid seed to bloom brilliantly, a suitable nurturing soil is indispensable. For Cẩm Ly, HUFLIT is that comprehensive launchpad.

Ly still vividly remembers the feeling of first stepping into the University’s “Cathedral on the 6th floor”, looking at the international-standard sound and lighting system with both awe and fascination. It was those professional spaces that nurtured her passion, becoming the training ground for the student to hone her stage mettle every day.

More specially, the University’s companionship lies not only in facilities but also in student-care policies and abundant scholarship sources. For a new student adrift, that support was like a tight embrace of the spirit, sharing the burden so that Ly could study with a lighter heart, comfortably experience and freely live true to her own character.

It turns out, “brilliance” is not the halo out there…

Standing at the peak of two major contests right from her first year, but Ly’s greatest pride at this moment does not lie in the weight of the trophies.

“Looking back, what makes my nose sting is not the moment my name was called, but when I realised: The girl who once cried in secret for fear of fading finally did it. It turns out, ‘brilliance’ is not the halo out there, but when I dare to shatter my timidity to live the most authentic and confident life.”

To the class of 2008 – those who may also carry within them the bewilderment and timidity of age 18 – Cẩm Ly’s story is a strong affirmation: Don’t try to force yourself to be like someone else. Even if your starting point is an uncertain, anxiety-filled version, as long as you dare to venture, HUFLIT is always here to welcome every difference. And surely, you will “touch” the things you have always longed for, brilliant in a very unique way!