This is the next installment of our blog series highlighting Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors who achieved the Gold milestone and have recently graduated from university. Each blog in the series features a different student and highlights their accomplishments, their experience with the Student Ambassadors community, and what they’re up to now.
Today we’d like to introduce Fahad Ashiq who is from Pakistan and graduated from Government College University, Lahore with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
When you joined the Student Ambassador community in January of 2020, did you have specific goals you wanted to reach, such as a particular skill or quality? What were they? Did you achieve them? How has the community impacted you in general?
When I started my degree in 2016, technology and the change it is bringing around the globe truly inspired me. I always wanted to build a community which will serve all of mankind to help them grow professionally, technically, and in their respective domains, so I applied for this program which is helping to fulfill my vision of building a tech community. The whole journey of the last 1.7 years has been like a roller coaster of experiences and community connection and has been full of learning. This program has impacted my whole student life as well as my professional life in helping me to grow, learn, and share in my upcoming career.
What were the accomplishments that you’re the proudest of and why?
The biggest accomplishment in this community was achieving the Gold milestone [Editor’s note: accomplished Student Ambassadors can only achieve the highest level of Gold through nomination by the program’s Community Program Managers, and then the nomination itself goes through a review process]. Reaching the Gold status is itself a big milestone to achieve in the Student Ambassador community.
Also, I started the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador Community Lahore with my fellow Student Ambassador Saad Aslam. The main purpose of the group is to create awareness of how tech can bring opportunities to the local community by using trending Microsoft technologies. The community helps students in training on the latest tech stacks. We often do community meetups and tech sessions for our community members, which has now become a family of 3000+ members including students, professionals, tech professionals. Three words convey our aim: Learn. Share. Grow!
I polished my developer, interpersonal, collaborative, and communication skills throughout my 1.7 years in the Student Ambassador community by participating in and hosting technical events. I also cleared two Microsoft exams, Azure Fundamentals and Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure. I hope to clear further exams relevant to my domain.
What are you currently doing, now that you’ve graduated?
I am working as a full-time Software Engineer at Enghouse Interactive, a UK-based software company that provides customer support services all around the world. I am also continuing to build our Student Ambassador Community Lahore and am involved with a few other ventures that involve local collaboration and partnerships, including my own community which is a digital platform that works to uplift the talents of the Pakistani community and share the local tech trends with them.
If you could redo your time with the Student Ambassadors community, is there anything you would have done differently?
I guess I could have contributed more. The impact I created here in Pakistan could have been increased because Pakistan is one of the countries with the best and youngest population. I do believe I could have done more If I had utilized my time better and planned better.
If you were to describe the community to a student who is interested in joining, what would you say about it to convince him or her to join?
I would tell them the benefits and the network that I made—it is immense, and I consider these assets for life. I would convince them by telling them each and every benefit I have experienced. The skills I developed through this community all students must have, but unfortunately, universities are not providing them. In short, this program is definitely worth pursuing.
What advice would you give to new Student Ambassadors?
I would tell them to “Learn, Share & Grow”. I always believe in these three words because all the effort we put into getting something becomes beneficial if we do learn from it and then share it with other knowledge seekers who are eagerly waiting for others to guide them and provide the right path for their career and professional growth.
Do you have a quote or motto in life, a guiding principle that drives you?
Do what you can do better and do the best for others as much as you can. Turning relevant opportunities into the right ones can create a positive impact in your life in the form of favor, networking, or empathy, I must say.
What is one random fact few people know about you? (it doesn’t have to be related to tech; actually, it’s preferable to be unrelated)
People believe I am lucky. Yaaas, definitely, I am lucky. but I owe it all to the hard work I put in. I am grateful for my blessed life. Also, I love meeting different people from different cultures around the world who have different norms.
Good luck to you in your journey, Fahad!