Microsoft Office championship: Pakistani student bags bronze in Texas

Final round saw 145 students from 47 countries battling for top slots

Waqas Ali, a student from Mirpur Mathelo in Ghotki district, has bagged a bronze medal for PowerPoint 2013 at the MOSWC 2015 held in Dallas, Texas recently.

Ali, who paid for the trip himself, was the only participant from Pakistan at the 14th Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC), which attracted 600,000 participants this year, all competing to demonstrate their mastery of various Microsoft Office products.

The final round saw 145 students from 47 countries battling it out for the top slots.



“I am feeling so many things right now, but most of all, I am proud that I have won,” said Ali, who studies at the FFC Grammar School.

“This was the first time for Pakistan, I was the only one, and I’ve won it. In fact, no – this is not my win; this is the win of my family, TEC Education Foundation, my friends, for all their massive support.”

Certiport, the test delivery solution provider that organised the event, awarded Ali with a scholarship worth $1,500, a medal, a trophy and Microsoft products.

“These winners are part of an elite group that know how to use Microsoft PowerPoint efficiently and to its full potential,” Certiport executive Aaron Osmond said. “We are proud to support this competition as a vehicle to promote what the world needs most – young people who possess in-demand workforce skills.”

“More than 1.2 billion people use Office worldwide, and these students have taken the time to set themselves apart as the best of the best,” said Alison Cunard, general manager of Learning Experiences at Microsoft.

Next year’s Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship will be held in Orlando, Florida.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2015.