Reflections on Game of Learners-A Journey of Growth and Learning
Humphrey Muriungi
Azure | Game Of Learners Ambassador | Gold ?? Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador
Game Of Learners: A Hackathon Like No Other
For those not familiar with Game of Learners, it's a gamified annual 5 Weeks hackathon?where participants learn new technologies to build products and solutions that address a current challenge while having fun. Learn more about Game of Learners here: https://www.microsoft.com/MEA/Gameoflearners/
That is not all about it, it has both pre- and post-GOL training sessions where participants are taken into training on using and applying different technologies to address their solution. You can look out for the post-GOL Sessions #GameofLearnersClinics by following @MicrosoftADC on Twitter and Microsoft Africa Development Centre on LinkedIn.
One of the happiest things in life is to see and feel growth in whatever you do. Allow me to take you back, to a year ago, that is in 2022 February, I applied and got selected as a participant in the Game of Learners Season 3, This came earlier when I knew little about Hackathons, Collaboration, Teamwork, How is it like to work on a real project, I felt not ready but I did not want to give in, I had that urge to want to learn, get involved and have that experience.
Was put on a team consisting of 4 other members, 2 from Kenya, and the other 2 from Rwanda, you can tell about the difference in time zones but yet we had to formulate a suitable time for us to meet that is favorable to everyone and having in mind we are all students and at the time we were all sitting for exams.
one thing I loved about the GOL is that not only did they test&train you on technical and problem-solving skills but also soft skills, Time management, Teamwork, and so on.
We got trained on several techniques and how to apply them:
Our Team was Team Green Wavers, Our solution addressed the issue of Deforestation, and how we can help mitigate this problem by finding a way to motivate people to plant more trees by leveraging the Power of Influence, Taking the idea from the Game of Learners we decided to make our solution Gamified whereby we had a feature when users could upload pictures of trees they had planted and by use of the object detection in Azure cognitive services we could authenticate that picture to ensure it was not a duplicate, a photoshopped image, and that it had object trees and then it would update the users' number of trees on the leaderboard and with time we would award the person with the high number of trees by having them receive recognition from an environmental organization. My Team Managed to emerge the winner of the Game of Learners Season 3.
Being part of the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors program and having taken part in the Game of Learners, I got an opportunity to work with the Microsoft Africa Development Centre Ecosystem as a Game of Learners Ambassador, where my role was to help plan, run, and manage any student engagement program.
7 weeks ago we Kicked off the Game of Learners Season 4, #GOLSeason4.
As the Game of Learners Season 4 comes to a?close, I wanted to reflect on the incredible journey we had, being part of the management team
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Let me say it has not been easy nor hard, the experience I have had on this side of the Game of Learners has been a roller coaster ride of growth, learning, and fun having it required commitment, time, organization, and attention to detail. It has been an amazing experience that has equipped me with public speaking, management, and various technical skills
From the beginning, I knew that this GOL was going to be something special. We had a diverse group of participants with 11 African countries representing Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, DRC, Zambia, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana, all eager to challenge themselves and push their limits. It was incredible to see the progress of the participants, watching them grow and develop was an amazing experience.?
Running any program comes along with its challenges, at times we had to pivot and adjust our approach, and there were moments we had to troubleshoot unexpected issues and come up with a suitable solution.?
Special Thanks to all the management team, volunteers, and anyone else who worked behind the scenes to ensure that the program was a success and being committed to providing the best possible experience for our participants?
To our participants we trust we gave you the best experience in the season, Congrats to the winners under different categories?and to all, because we are all winners, making it this far, all the learning experience is an accomplishment that can't go unrecognized.?
To all participants, let this not be where your project stops, you started a journey complete it, and see to it that you actualize your project in the real world. Can't wait to see you submitting your projects to the Imagine Cup #MSFTImagine
And from the closing ceremony here are some take away:
1. Adopt a Growth mindset?
2. Be a forever learner?
3. Invest more time to learn. " If you find time for Tiktok, Instagram e.t.c, please find time to learn something new"
Special thanks to Microsoft Africa Development Centre?Ecosystem Ruth Ferland?Catherine Muraga?Lydiah Karanja?Irene Githinji Tabitha Maina?Beldine Atieno?Faith Njeri?Phyllis Atieno?AMREF?Population Services International?#MSFTStudentambassadors
Reflecting on my experience with the Game of Learners, it has been an ultimate challenge for my mind and a game changer?to my Career development and growth.
??Here's is to a fantastic Season 4 and to many more seasons