Certiport News
Nation's Top-Scoring Students Awarded Opportunity to Compete in Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office
Four high school finalists to demonstrate mastery of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel skills against the best in the world at Certiport-sponsored event
SALT LAKE CITY – July 22, 2010
Certiport the official test delivery solution provider for the global workforce and academic markets, today announced the top finalists in the United States Competition on Microsoft® Office.
The representatives for 2010 are:
Jason Bays, Adrian Mercado, Ryan Miguel, and Nicole Sponaugle.
From December 2009 to June 2010, more than 64,000 United States students competed to demonstrate their proficiency in utilizing the world's foremost desktop computing applications. The top four finalists will now prepare for the final round of the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office—the World Championships held in Park City, Utah on August 8-10, 2010.
Details about the United States Competition on Microsoft Office:
www.certiport.com/usofficecompetition
"We had more students participate in the North American Microsoft Office competition this year than ever before, proof that the value of certification is on the rise," said Quinn Sutton, Senior Vice President, Certiport. "The Microsoft Office competition is an excellent platform that provides an outlet for students to document their skills using Microsoft Office tools outside of the classroom. We also commend the faculty, institutions and testing centers who support the competition which demonstrates a student's ability to prove they are ready to compete in a global economy."
Current students who passed a qualifying exam and attend an approved, degree-seeking academic institution were eligible to compete in the United States Competition. Participants who outperformed their peers by demonstrating proficiency utilizing Microsoft Office Word and Excel generally had perfect or near-perfect exam scores and completion times well below the allotted examination time.
The following students placed in the top 20 of all eligible students competing in the United States:
Microsoft Office Word 2003 Finalists
Nicole Sponaugle, DoDEA, VA (US Representative)
Mariah Wagner, Denison Job Corps Center, IA
Arleen Williams, Central Dauphin High School, PA
Jessica Seehousz, Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District, NJ
Melissa Anderson, Central Dauphin High School, PA
Microsoft Word 2007 Finalists
Ryan Miguel, Danbury High School, CT (US Representative)
Kimberly Mohs, Danbury High School, CT
McKenna Reed, Niceville High School, FL
Nicolas Green, Walton Career Development Center, FL
Sarah Cooper, Elk Grove Unified School District, CA
Microsoft Excel 2003 Finalists
Jason Bays, Eastern High School, KY (US Representative)
Jenna Copeland, Whitehouse High School, TX
Christina Salcido, Los Angeles Job Corps, CA
Jared Biarnesen, Crown Point High School, IN
Zackeri Wagner, Chesapeake Public Schools, VA
Microsoft Excel 2007 Finalists
Adrian Mercado, George Washington High School, IL (US Representative)
Tara Atsalis, Lynn University, FL
Angelina Appana, Thomas A. Edison CTE High School, NY
Michael Tojong, Tulane University-Freeman School of Business, LA
Nicholas Sisson, Frenship ISD, TX
"Before my junior year I didn't know what I was going to do in life, including whether or not I would finish high school," said Adrian Mercado, George Washington High School. "The success that I have had in my computer course, validated by an industry-recognized certification, has given me not only a desire to finish school, but the confidence to know that my skills have prepared me for a bright future."
Certiport's Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office has grown steadily since its inauguration and the number of exams entered worldwide has doubled over last year. Honoring the important role that certification plays in the standards and assessment community, this premier student competition helps validate that students have the expertise needed to compete in the global workforce.
More information about the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program can be found at: www.certiport.com/officespecialist.
About Certiport
Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 12,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Technology Associate certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Associate certification program, the Adobe® Certified Expert program, the HP Accredited Technical Associate, the CompTIA Strata™ IT Fundamentals, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit QuickBooks Certified User certification program, and the IC³ Digital Literacy certification. Certiport reliably delivers over three million tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in more than 148 countries and 27 languages worldwide. For more information, please visit www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter at www.twitter.com/certiport.
"Certiport" "IC³" and "MeasureUp" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Press Contact:
Brenda Armstrong
1.801.602.0305
barmstrong@certiport.com