“Finding your community is more important than ever as classes and social activities take place virtually. Amplify your impact and bring together your peers to learn new skills, solve real-world problems, and build communities across the globe.”
Microsoft has introduced the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador program which was formerly known as Microsoft Student Partners Program to create new opportunities and an environment where the Selected candidates can educate others on various Technical Skills and learn using the Resources provided by the Microsoft Learn Modules.
In short, It is a program which will enhance your employability by offering training in skills not usually taught in academia, including knowledge of Microsoft technologies (along with providing access to an awesome community and resources)
All in all, this will be an amazing opportunity for any student out there to take advantage of and skill up their learnings!
But how exactly do I get this opportunity? What will be the benefits? Who is eligible? Will I get swags and goodies?
I know you have lots of questions, so let’s get right to it!
What does being a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador actually mean?
Learn Student Ambassadors are basically a global group of campus leaders who are eager to help fellow students, create robust tech communities, and develop technical and career skills for the future.
It is a worldwide program directly led by Microsoft where it helps in building technical skills of the students and most importantly knowledge of Microsoft technologies
What are the benefits of being a Microsoft Learn student ambassador?
- Office 365 Subscription: Best-in-class apps like Excel and Outlook; powerful cloud services like OneDrive and Microsoft Teams are offered free of cost.
- TechSmith offer for SnagIt and Camtasia: Snagit software for screen capturing with built-in advanced image editing, and Camtasia software for video editing to create polished, professional-looking videos. These are worth around 30,000 INR.
- Visual Studio subscription: Comprehensive tools and services to design, build and deploy complex enterprise applications.
- Microsoft Product Keys: Free Microsoft Professional Keys for Office, Windows, Visio, etc. (all variants).
- Azure $150 monthly credits: Ambassadors receives $150 in monthly Azure credits to experiment with and learn about Azure services. With these credits they can develop apps in their favorite language with Web Apps, build their very own bots with Bot Service, and learn to manage data effectively with HDInsight — just to name a few.
- Free Training: Free training via Microsoft Learn and directly from Microsoft professionals.
- LinkedIn Premium Account: Free LinkedIn Learning and Premium account for the entire 6 months.
- Subway: Food and Refreshment support by Subway on conducting events (Even though it is currently discontinued).
- Expense Reimbursement: Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador is eligible for event support including access to the Expense Reimbursement Program where you get the reimbursement for all the expenditures made by you during the event under certain policies.
- Other benefits: You get to build a network with Microsoft professionals, and get a chance to attend MVP annual summits.
P.S. Benefits may vary with different levels or milestones you cover after becoming a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador.
How do I apply?
Step 1:
Visit the website https://studentambassadors.microsoft.com/login and sign in to your Microsoft account.
Step 2:
Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button.
Step 3:
As soon as you click on apply, the below window appears showing different sections of the form.
In the ‘Privacy and Terms’ section, agree to the Privacy Statement and click ‘Next’ in order to proceed with your application-
Step 4:
In the ‘Personal Info’ section, fill in the personal details like name, contact email, gender, phone number, and get it verified by means of a one-time password.
Click ‘Next’ to proceed.
Step 5:
Similarly, fill the School info, i.e., your college details and the degree you are currently pursuing and click on ‘Next’.
Step 6:
Now, comes the main step. This section ‘Written sample’ is where you need to give your major efforts and consideration while filling the application.
It contains 3 parts where you have to answer 3 questions, namely-
- Inspire- What excites you about technology and why you want to help other students explore and learn?
- Teach- How would you take a technical concept and teach it to a friend or peer that has never heard of it?
- Promote- If you were hosting an event at your school, how would you get students to attend?
You can answer these questions either with a video or a written sample but at least one video must be provided (under 2 minutes) recorded with your phone or webcam so long as your voice can be clearly heard. You have to provide the URL to the video.
Step 7:
In this, you have to fill the Additional info, like LinkedIn Profile URL, technical blog post URL, etc. This section is optional, but I will recommend you to fill as many fields as possible.
Step 8:
This is the last step for getting one step closer to your destination of becoming a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. In this section of ‘Technical Skills’, you have to tell which technologies interest you. Besides this, you can also share anything else if something is left.
After filling the essential details, click on the ‘Submit’ button and Voila! you’re done.
What is the deadline to apply?
You can fill out the program application online, i.e., you can apply on all the 365 days of the year at any time of the clock, according to your convenience.
New students are accepted into the program quarterly and the results are also announced on quarterly basis.
So,
Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador Program is indeed one of the best programs worldwide. It gives you a lot of exposure, along with community support and motivates you to work in the most innovative way. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and Apply.
All the very best.
