How to Become a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador

The Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors program is a remarkable initiative that aims to empower students to become leaders in today's tech ecosystem. The program allows student leaders to collaborate with Microsoft, a leading tech company, to help fellow students learn about technology and engage with various Microsoft technologies and services.

It is important to note that Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors are not official employees of Microsoft, but they work closely with the company and receive certain resources, training, and support. As part of the program, student ambassadors often receive benefits such as networking opportunities, skill development, and recognition within the tech community.

The responsibilities of student ambassadors are critical to the success of the program. They are encouraged to inspire and motivate their peers to use Microsoft Learn, which is Microsoft's educational platform offering free resources, tutorials, and courses on various Microsoft technologies. The platform aims to help students build skills that open doors in the tech industry.

Student ambassadors also represent Microsoft technologies on their campuses. In this capacity, they engage with faculty and other students to showcase the benefits of Microsoft tools for education and innovation. By doing so, they help promote the use of Microsoft technologies and services in a variety of academic and professional settings.

Student ambassadors are required to complete various pre-determined activities to advance through the program milestones. These milestones include new to alpha, alpha to beta, and beta to gold. With each milestone achievement, program certificates are updated, and student ambassadors are recognized for their hard work and dedication.

The Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador program accepts applications all year round but reviews them quarterly – in January, April, July, and October. You can access the application form through this link. The application comprises four main sections – privacy and terms, personal information, academic institution, and application questions.

In the privacy and terms section, you must agree to the Microsoft Privacy Statement and confirm your eligibility for the program. Completing this section allows the Microsoft program lead, who manages Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors selection in your region, to access your application information. You will also be informed that your information will be deleted within twelve months if your application is not accepted and that you can request removal of your application data at any time without constraints.

The personal information section requires your name, contact email address, date of birth, gender, pronoun, and country or region. You can also indicate your preferred programming language here (though it's optional). Additionally, you can provide links to your social media profiles to help demonstrate your online influence and network.

The academic institution section seeks information about your institution, including its country and region, name, degree program, and expected graduation date. You'll be asked to select your degree level: Bachelor, Master, or PhD. The available options for your degree program include Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Engineering - Other, Information Systems, Cyber Security, Business, and Others.

The application questions section requires you to answer three questions, each of which explores your technical skills, community leadership, and event planning experience, respectively. You must answer all three questions, but you'll also get to answer any two of your choices in writing and one in a video format. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your public speaking skills.

The video must be under two minutes and should be recorded in a quiet space without background noise. On the other hand, the written responses must be a minimum of 100 characters and a maximum of 2000 characters each.

Also, the video response's link has to be publicly accessible to anyone with the link. If an applicant chooses to record their video in any language that is not English, they must include English subtitles.

There's an option to pick from a list of technologies and highlight which ones interest you.

Finally, in more than 100 and less than 1000 characters, you can share the link to your Microsoft Learn profile (if you have one) and provide the reviewing team with details about your engagements within your community, both online and on-campus.

In that space, you can also let them know about any organizations you are part of, particularly if you hold leadership roles. Feel free to share any additional information you consider important in this section.

The application process/essays may seem quite lengthy. But the good thing about it is that the essay portal automatically saves your application as you go, so you can leave at any time and come back later to continue your application.

Benefits of Being a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador

There are many benefits of being a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. First, you benefit from comprehensive technical and leadership training and gain access to Microsoft's extensive array of learning materials. You also get to connect with a worldwide community of students who share your enthusiasm for building the future you envision.

In my opinion, the biggest thing student ambassadors stand to gain is the community they become a part of alongside fellow ambassadors. This community offers an extensive network of peers, mentors, and professionals who are all invested in the same mission. It becomes a platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and personal growth.

Here are a few other benefits that are accessible as you progress through the milestones:

Benefits of the New Milestone

Microsoft 365 is a product family of productivity software, collaboration, and cloud-based services owned by Microsoft. As a student ambassador in the new milestone, you get Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

The Microsoft 365 subscriptions include full Office desktop apps such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, and Publisher for Windows PCs and access to additional OneNote features.

Benefits of the Alpha Milestone

In addition to the benefits that come with the new milestone, student ambassadors get access to Visual Studio Enterprise. This annual subscription provides Student Ambassadors with $150 monthly Azure credit, license keys to various Microsoft Products, and many other benefits.

In addition, in line with the program's dedication to the growth of student ambassadors, student ambassadors in the Alpha milestone and beyond get free access to LinkedIn Learning.

Benefits of the Beta Milestone

In addition to the existing benefits, student ambassadors get a Beta swag box upon reaching this milestone.

Benefits of the Gold Milestone

On top of the previous benefits, student ambassadors who achieve this milestone get a Gold swag box, more program leadership opportunities, consideration for special events and activities, and consideration for MVP mentorship and nomination. This is the highest milestone in the program.

Windows Insider for Student Ambassadors

Finally, one last benefit I want to touch on is the Windows Insider Program for Student Ambassadors.

Thanks to the Windows Insider Program's collaboration with Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors, when Student Ambassadors become part of the Windows Insider Program, they will get a chance to preview upcoming Windows features and offer input to influence the direction Windows takes in the future.

Wrapping Up

Once you graduate from the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador program at the Gold milestone, you will be eligible for the Windows Insider Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program nomination.

This prestigious status comes with exclusive interaction opportunities with the Windows engineering team, special event invitations, and complimentary subscriptions to tools such as Visual Studio Enterprise, Office 365, and LinkedIn Premium. You will receive a personalized award kit to commemorate this achievement.

I hope this guide helps you apply for the program and know what to expect! Thanks for reading.