Back in October ’25, I received a fantastic invitation from the student union of my alma mater, the University of Economics – ISB Academic Team. They asked me to return, not as a former student, but as a judge for the semi-finals and finals of their prestigious competition named Youth Forum on Economics 2025: GIG Economy – Power Shifts In The Digital Workforce.
Honestly, I was slightly apprehensive. Taking the judge’s chair for the first time brings that universal feeling: Am I suitable? Do I truly possess the competence needed to sit here? But as always, I decided to dive in and embrace the experience, promising myself to be nothing less than an impartial and fair assessor.
The competition unfolded over two exciting rounds. In the semi-finals, I evaluated two deeply insightful papers on the GIG economy. One was academically brilliant, packed with cutting-edge market research. The other, while close in score, was written with incredible humanity and empathy. The decision was tough, but we had a strict process. After running the papers through our system, the AI detected a high percentage of plagiarism and AI-assisted writing in the “brilliant” paper. Regretfully, we had to disqualify it. This paved the way for the deeply human-centric paper to advance to the finals.
The final round saw four exceptionally strong teams engaging in a fierce and inspiring debate. What I found most fascinating about these students was their approach to economic research. They consistently showed a profound interest in human development and welfare. This gave me immense faith in Vietnam’s future generation—a generation that is not only smart and talented but also deeply compassionate and empathetic. The eventual champions were a team of wonderful young women. But regardless of who took the championship title, I was truly impressed by what every single team accomplished. It was an honor to witness their dedication. Stepping off the judging panel, I walked away with a profound sense of inspiration, ready to carry the lessons I learned from them into my own professional life.
