This series highlights Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors who achieved the Gold milestone and have recently graduated from university. Each blog features a different student and highlights their accomplishments, their experience with the Student Ambassadors program, and what they’re up to now.
Today we’d like to introduce Nisar Ahmed who is from Pakistan and graduated a few months ago from COMSATS University Islamabad in Sahiwal, Pakistan.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
When you first became a Student Ambassador in your 3rd year at the end of 2017, did you have any specific goals you wanted to reach, like attain a skill or work on a particular quality? What were they, and did being a Student Ambassador help you achieve them?
When I heard about the Student Ambassador program, I got this strong feeling that this is the program by which I will become more technical, more confident, improve my communication skills, and meet like-minded peoples around the globe. At that time, I was shy, even I am not communicating with my fellows. At that moment I set the goal that I will be a Student Ambassador and turn my weaknesses into my strong points. In my third year, I was selected as a Student Ambassador. So now I decided I have to work hard to improve my skills under the mentorship of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) of my country. I will deliver the same technical knowledge to other students of my University as well as students of other Universities. I think now due to this program, I am not shy. I'm more confident to deliver a session within a 300 plus batch at a time. Now I'm more technical. I know how to learn new technology quickly. Now I'm more confident to communicate with industry professionals.
What was one of the accomplishments that you're most proud of?
Before I became a Student Ambassador, I started a technical society for my Department in which I delivered technical sessions weekly and mentored students. After joining the program, I was more confident than before and was replicating the same technical society to my neighbor universities. I create a group of students and tell them how to create a technical community--what are the benefits, how you can decide about the future. All these things we delivered to the students. I have collaborated with four to five universities. I am in my third year, and it's a complicated thing because they have a lot of processes and they have a lot of rules and regulations, and we have to communicate it with different professors and heads of departments and directors. It's taken a long time, but I keep it up. I believe it's important to collaborate with other universities. I believe that every student deserves this because these students are the future.
Another accomplishment was that I started my certification exam during my student life, achieved the title of Microsoft Certified Solution Associate, and after that, I took another exam and achieved the title of Microsoft Certified Solution developer. Finally, I'm a Microsoft Certified Trainer. I feel most proud in that I became a resource for other students, not only for my university but as well as for other universities.
You graduated a couple of months ago, so what have you been up to since then? What are your plans?
I am planning for my next goal, which is to become a Microsoft MVP in Microsoft Business Applications, especially. When I heard that I am graduating, I instantly within two to three days planned 15 sessions for the students in the excitement that I am graduating. This is my final thing for the Student Ambassador program. Those 15 sessions are completely related to Microsoft Business Applications.
Recently I got an offer from one of the best international software companies of my country that is a Microsoft partner. They offered me the position of technical consultant for Microsoft Dynamics 365, which I accepted. One of my goals is that I want to reach where I can serve the community most effectively from a technical perspective. I'm trying to enroll in a master’s program to an AI program in Canada soon, maybe in within a year and possibility in the next year.
If you could turn back time, is there anything you would have done differently while in the program?
I would bring all these selected Student Ambassadors of my country at one point and start planning out things. How we can increase the technical community in our country? How we can increase the count of technical sessions and blogs? How we can remove one another weaknesses and polish each other for the future. How we can grow and prove our technical skills in the ecosystem? How we can avoid the negativity? It's important to stay positive in every situation. I don’t have to achieve something big rather than I love to see my team achieve something big.
If you were to describe the Student Ambassadors community to a student who is considering joining, what would you say to convince them to join?
If you want to achieve something great, clear the picture as to what you want to do in the future, meet like-minded people, learn how to become a good mentor, and inspire others, you should join this program.
And let's say that this person joins and becomes a Student Ambassador. What advice would you give them?
I would like to advise a new Student Ambassador to learn from peers, supervisors, mentors and technical persons from any community. Make yourself something like an observant object which will absorb positivity and give that positivity to the next generation because you guys are our future and you should know how to inspire others.
One last question--do you have a motto in life, a guiding principle that drives you?
My mentor Usman Sheikh, an MVP, once told me “Be like the sun and you shall warm the earth.” At that moment, I set my motto as “Giving up will be not my style!” because I believe I can achieve anything in this world.
Good luck to you, Nisar, in all your future endeavors!