Hi! I’m Bailey, a fourth-year Computer Security student at York University in Toronto, Canada! I attended ElleHacks as my first hackathon in my first year of university and that’s when I learned about Major League Hacking (MLH).
I’ve been involved in MLH as an organizer for ElleHacks, a participant at Local Hack Days (now Global Hack Week), and most recently I’ve organized events on campus using the MLH Pizza Fund.
All of these experiences inspired and enabled me to become a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador (MLSA) last year! If you’re interested in the MLSA program or student ambassador programs generally, below are some insights into the interview and application process.
About the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador Program
The Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador Program (MLSA) is a global group of ambassadors who are passionate about supporting their peers in tech by organizing workshops that teach both technical and career skills.
Before I joined the MLSA, I attended several hackathons and a Github workshop hosted by several MLSA which inspired me to join the program.
The MLSA Program and the Microsoft Learn platform was the perfect place for me to develop my tech skills while also giving back to my community. For example, in the program, I had the opportunity to attend workshops hosted by fellow ambassadors and eventually hosted my own workshop, “How to Build a Hackathon Chatbot using Power Virtual Agent (PVA)”.
Student Ambassador Application Tips
Please keep in mind the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador (MLSA) application may have changed since I applied in August 2021, so make sure to check out the application to note any differences.
The MLSA program requires applicants to be at least 16 years old and be enrolled in a full-time academic institution. The most important part of the application is the written samples and they are broken down into three categories of questions: Teach, Inspire, and Promote. The questions were:
- How would you take a technical concept and teach it to a friend or peer that has never heard of it?
- How have you acted as an agent of change to inspire and influence your peers?
- If you were hosting a technical event, what steps would you take to increase awareness about your event and attract the targeted audience?
When you’re answering the Tech and Promote questions, I recommend you put yourself in a community member’s shoes. For example, if you were learning a new technical concept, how would you prefer to be taught? I personally love a complex concept to be broken down into different categories like terminologies, purposes, and applications
The next important part of the application is sharing your social media profiles. These will demonstrate your contributions to the community and how you take the initiatives to guide others. You can share any platform you’d like! Some examples include YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Medium, and Hashnode.
Student Ambassador Interviewing Advice
Hackathon experience played a big role during the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador (MLSA) interview process. In my interview, I recounted how my hackathon team members taught me new skills when I was just starting out.
I also used my observations of how organizations promoted their hackathons to showcase my knowledge of social media best practices. Lastly, in my interview, I talked about my experience volunteering for hackathons and giving back to the community.
TLDR;
Before applying to any Student Ambassador program, I highly recommend joining the hackathon community. Start off by experiencing what it’s like to connect yourself with diverse hacker communities! Because I joined communities, I was able to find people who I look up to and strive forward. Don’t hesitate to learn in public, share your takeaways, and be yourself.
If you are new to the tech community, check out Global Hack Week which MLHers host amazing workshops in various experience levels from beginner to advanced.