Good Counsel College student, William Mulholland, from the Rower, will compete tomorrow in the national finals of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championships.
A LOCAL secondary school student will compete in an event today that could result in him representing Ireland and the UK in a major technology competition in California this summer.
William Mulholland (16), from the Rower, is a student in Good Counsel College and he is the only New Ross student to qualify for the the national finals of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championships.
He is also one of only 20 from all over the country to qualify for the Excel category .
The global competition tests students’ skills on Microsoft Office applications and is operated and sponsored in Ireland and the UK by Prodigy Learning.
William is one of only 20 students from all over the country who qualified for tomorrow’s national finals in Excel.
What makes his achievement all the more noteworthy is the fact that qualification is measured through remote monitoring by Prodigy Learning and is not based on entries submitted through the school.
That was something William’s teacher, William Walker, was keen to point out.
“This has nothing to do with me this is about William and it’s remotely monitored so they were very impressed by how he applies himself in Excel and his expertise with it,” said Mr. Walker.
From tomorrow’s national final three students, from Ireland and the UK, will go through to represent both nations at the world finals in Disneyland, in Anaheim, California.
That competition will take place from July 30 to August 2.
A spokesperson for Prodigy Learning said the selection process is done by Microsoft and Prodigy Learning inviting students across Ireland the UK to participate in the MOS Four Nations Championship to prove their mastery of Microsoft Office.
“This is the first time Ireland has been involved in the competition in over 12 years and we are very excited,” said the spokesperson.
The top 20 students in Excel, PowerPoint and Word will compete in tomorrow’s national final in Dublin and from there three will be selected to represent Ireland at the Four Nations final in London next month.
“There, three lucky students will be selected to attend the World Finals in Disneyland, California, where they will compete against the best students from all over the globe,” said the Prodigy Learning spokesperson.
“This is a very exciting competition for Ireland and a massive achievement for students who have qualified for the competition this year, proving they are among the best in the country in Microsoft Office,” he added.
Such is William’s remarkable inherent talent for the MO applications that he has already achieved certificates that take most adults a very long time to gain.
William himself is taking it all in his stride and said he is looking forward to tomorrow and whatever happens after that will be a bonus.
“I’m happy with what’s happened so far but it’s just something I have an interest in,” he said.
“Whatever happens now will be a bonus but I’m delighted to get this far in the competition and just to have been selected at all is great,” he added.
