Certiport News
Certiport Declares Winners of 2008 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office Word and Excel
Students from Thailand clinch title of "World Champs" in official Microsoft Office competition at Certiport PATHWAYS HAWAII international conference
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — August 02, 2008
Certiport today announced Chawanat Nakasan, 16, from from Thailand and Penporn Koanantakool, 20, also from Thailand as this year's World Champions for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel®, respectively, at the 2008 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft® Office. More than 56,000 students from around the globe participated in multiple rounds of testing, capped by the world championship round held in Hawaii, USA, to determine this year's winners. The two world champions were ceremoniously recognized for their accomplishments during the Certiport PATHWAYS™ conference on Hawaii's Big Island where 44 finalists competed.
"I was so glad to hear my name announced at the Word Champion," said Chawanat Nakasan. "Having these skills means doing better in our jobs and living better."
"I'm very happy," stated Penporn Koanantakool. "Even now I'm so excited. This certifies that I know a lot in Excel. It's going to help me a lot in the future."
Both students expressed gratitude to parents and friends who helped them reach this milestone accomplishment. They both agree this Microsoft credential and their award will assist them as they progress in school and the workplace.
Go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh4N2nn2qNY to view competition video footage and interviews with the World Champions. Print-quality photos of this year's winners along with images from Gala award ceremony can be previewed and downloaded at: www.flickr.com/photos/certiport/collections/72157606106336544.
Qualifying for the Championship Round of the Competition is no easy feat. The World Champions—along with more than 56,000 students from 47 countries—participated in multiple rounds of local, national and regional competitions in the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office from October 2007 to May 2008. The criteria for selecting Country Champions are excellent exam scores and quick completion times. Students who outperformed their peers to make the final round of the Competition generally had perfect or near perfect exam scores and completion times well below the allotted examination time.
After compiling results from the Championship Round, these student winners earned the prestigious title of World Champions in Microsoft Word and Excel. Both World Champions, recognized at a Gala ceremony, and received a grand-prize technology package worth $6,500 USD.
Completing its sixth year, the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office boasts more than 171,000 students who have vied for the title of World Champion. For more information about the Competition, visit www.officecompetition.com. To receive broadcast-quality video footage of the Competition, including the student interviews available through the link above, contact John Pilmer at 801-369-7535 or mediarelations@certiport.com.
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.
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Press Contact:
Brenda Armstrong
1.801.602.0305
barmstrong@certiport.com