edX Learner Accepted Into Microsoft Student Partner Program
When we first heard from Ali Heikal, he was completing high school and looking forward to studying Computer Science – and study he has! He got back in touch to let us know that he’s since taken more edX courses, and was accepted into the Microsoft Student Partner program!
Microsoft Student Partners are student technology leaders who are empowered to build Microsoft communities on their campus and share their deep knowledge and passion for technology with their fellow classmates. The program also helps enhance students’ employability and offers training in Microsoft technologies and skills.
I am majoring in Computer Science at The British University in Egypt, which is partnered with London South Bank University, and was accepted into Microsoft’s Student Partner program in October.
I’ve enjoyed taking many edX courses, and have earned Verified Certificates in English Grammar and Essay Writing as well as Academic and Business Writing with UC BerkeleyX, and Inclusive Leadership Training: Becoming a Successful Leader with CatalystX.
Inclusive Leadership Training taught me to think like a CEO. Microsoft’s Programming with C# and Building Cloud Apps courses helped me advance my programming skills, and Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots gave me good knowledge of how drones fly and how to program them and the physics of it. Design and Development of Games for Learning helped me think like a game designer, and see that designing games for learning and thinking has value.
I am currently taking a lot of courses because it gives me new perspectives to study fields beyond the ones I am most interested in.
The courses I am taking on edX to help me gain skills and knowledge within my field are:
MITx: Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python
MITx: Circuits and Electronics 1: Basic Circuit Analysis
W3Cx: HTML5 Part 1: HTML5 Coding Essentials and Best Practices
Microsoft: Introduction to R Programming
Microsoft: Data Science and Machine Learning Essentials
Now that sounds like a lot to take, but the truth is that my main focus is on four of the courses, and if I don’t finish the other courses in time then I can re-enroll when they are available again in order to earn the certificate.
Being driven and passionate to the extent that you search and study online courses and materials, complete extra homework, and take extra exams beyond what is taught in school shows initiative and can lead to great things.
Last updated: May 2016