On the 9th of May, the Office of Information Technology hosted the graduation of the spring cohort of Microsoft Ambassadors Program. The event, which took place at the TechKNOWledgy bar inside the Student Union building, was put together to recognize the student ambassadors who had successfully completed the program and officially close out the spring cohort. After picking up their certificates and Microsoft branded swag, the ambassadors had the opportunity to interact, connect and take photographs with one another and with the program facilitator – Amanda Pritchard.
The graduating ambassadors had to actively participate in the program over the course of the semester and complete several tasks within the deadline to qualify for graduation. When asked to give feedback about the program, many ambassadors were eager to share their experiences from the program with the Office of Information Technology.
Srijan Gupta who is majoring in Computer Science, says he joined the program because he saw it as a terrific opportunity to expand his professional network while also learning about Microsoft products. Speaking about the initial application to get into the program, Srijan confirmed it took effort but was easy enough to complete. “You just have to answer a couple of questions, the facilitators want to know how you can upskill yourself as a result of being part of the program”
Srijan also confirmed it was especially useful in his degree as a Computer Science major. “Though I already used several Microsoft products, there are so many special features within these products I did not know about prior to becoming a Microsoft Student Ambassador.” He advised incoming ambassadors to go into the program with an open mind as learning opportunities abound.
Asmita, who also graduated with the Spring cohort, found out about the program through the OIT newsletter she subscribes to. She said:
“The application was extremely competitive; I count myself fortunate to have been selected. The program requirements were closely aligned to my coursework as a business analytics major. Initially I thought we would learn the popular products such as MS Word and Excel, but there are so many other Microsoft products useful for students and young professionals that we were exposed to, such as MS Power Automate and MS Power BI.”
Asmita also encouraged the UT Dallas student community to take advantage of the opportunities the university is making available to them.
“I certainly think more students need to get involved. There are so many opportunities, provided free of charge by the university, that students should utilize.”
Another Spring cohort ambassador, Coco Yeh, says she was surprised at how flexible the program was. “The training is accessible online, with clear guidelines on what a participant should complete in order to earn a certificate. Participators with different schedules will be able to complete the assigned work in its most accessible timeframe.” Coco applied for the program because she wanted to gain some relevant experience before pivoting to the technology industry after graduation. In the course of the program, Coco says she learned the importance of “getting ahead of the game”.
“You and your teammates may face tight deadlines because school usually gets busier than expected when getting close to the end of the semester. I learned that by knowing the guidelines beforehand with proper planning and allocation of tasks, you can get things done efficiently even on a tight schedule.”
Coco also lauded the creativity each team demonstrated in their final presentations.
We also spoke to Lauren Bernal, who was part of the MS Ambassadors program in Fall 2021 and is now a program facilitator as an M365 Student specialist working with OIT. She provided unique insights as an MS Ambassador alum turned specialist.
“Most students want to know – ‘Is this program worth my time? Will this help me improve as a student and further my professional prospects?’ The answer is an emphatic yes! The Ambassador program was a pathway that connected me to so many wonderful opportunities. As a direct result of skills, I gained knowledge on Microsoft Suite and built sustaining relationships with fellow students I met through the program. These relationships lead me to opportunities such as becoming the team lead for the Project Management Club and achieving Top 5 team in the sustainability case competition hosted by UT Dallas.”
Lauren also shared her intimidations about joining an OIT program, and how those fears were later debunked.
“I was a bit scared prior to applying because I do not have a technology background. Regardless, the program was very accessible and useful to me in many ways. It was an enriching experience all-round!”
This MS Ambassadors program was created in response to students requesting more information and experience using Microsoft products for classes. Participating students earn certification from Microsoft and the Office of Information Technology, gain real life resume building experience that distinguishes them in the job market and have exclusive access to Microsoft tech experts.
For more information on the program and application process for future cohorts, visit the UTD’s Microsoft Ambassador webpage.
Congratulations to all Spring cohort graduates!
