Voices of Readiness Podcast

We're back again with another student success story. And who doesn't love a little inspiration from their podcast? Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! Our Ask a Champion webinar series highlights former Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Professional Championship competitors. We talk with them about their experiences at the competition, how their teachers helped them, and how their lives have changed because of their certifications.

For those who aren't familiar with our MOS Championship event, here's the deal. The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students' skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. It's an incredible opportunity for students to showcase their talents on a world stage. This episode includes the audio from our latest Ask a Champion webinar with former Microsoft Office Specialist Champion, Tyler Millis. Tyler shares his experience at the Microsoft Championship, his advice for other competitors, and how his certifications led him to his career as a Software Developer.

You can learn more about the MOS Championship at www.moschampionship.com.

You can also read Tyler's story on our blog:

https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2017/October/Getting-Into-an-Ivy-League-College-with-Certificat.

As a teacher, you want to know that the work you do makes a difference. Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! During our latest Adobe Certified Professional Academy webinar, we were able to highlight two former Adobe Certified Professional Championship competitors.

Acquille Dunkley found his passion for the arts at 15 years old and has been creating ever since. He migrated to West Palm Beach, Florida, from Jamaica when he was 16. After high school, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to pursue a BFA degree at The Savannah College of Art and Design. While in college, he became more motivated to learn multiple forms of visual communication. He discovered his love for lighting through photography, worked as an art gallery assistant for a few years and taught himself 3D digital software programs. After graduating, he received an offer to work in the movie industry in Los Angeles as a motion graphic designer. Since then, he has worked on projects for Amazon Prime, ABC, Disney, Netflix, and Apple TV - just to name a few. Recently, he began a new journey as a fine artist, showcasing his artwork in galleries from Los Angeles to Jamaica.

Eliot Chang is a designer with a focus on the intersection of social, gaming, and developer experiences. Eliot has a bachelors' degree in Mathematics and Economics, a minor in Computer Science from the University of Southern California. He also graduated from the University of Southern California with a master's degree in computer science. His background in computer science and behavioral economics allows him to make intuitive, beautiful, and fun products. He currently works as a product designer for Epic Games.

During our chat, we dove headfirst into the Adobe Certified Professional Championship. We discussed Acquille and Eliot's experiences at the competition, how the competition helped prepare them for their careers, and how today's students can prepare for this amazing opportunity.

Interested in learning more about the Adobe Certified Professional Championship? Get all the details at https://us.acachampionship.com/.

You can also learn about Acquille and Eliot's stories (plus many more amazing students) on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Student-Stories.

Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.

If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

Want to prepare high school students for the App Economy? In this week's episode, we are highlighting a past webinar we held for Month of Swift. We were privileged to learn from Virginia educator, Alex Leonard.

Alex holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's Degree in School Law and Policy Studies, and has been an educator of computer science courses for over 16 years. He's taught postsecondary and secondary dual enrollment courses in Programming, Game Design, Database Design and Sciences, Cybersecurity, Networking and Web Development and Design. Additionally, he's taught middle school STEAM courses which lead into the computer science and engineering courses available in his school district.

Currently, he's coaching a FIRST Lego League (FLL), FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics, and PUNCH autonomous drone teams for Carroll County Middle and High Schools. Alex believes that education is more than just content, education is building life-long skills that are the foundation of successful individuals. The teacher's role should be that of a coach, guiding students to learn the content. As industry and culture change, so should teaching methods. Alex embraces change and adapts his teaching to suit the needs of his individual students.

Alex shares his perspective of the App Development with Swift program. He talked about how he gets his students excited and engaged with app development, how he showcases his students work, and his advice for fellow coding teachers.

Get more ideas on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/September/Getting-Your-Students-Excited-about-Coding.

You can also learn more about the App Development with Swift program here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/August/Prepare-Students-for-the-App-Economy-with-Swift

Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.

If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

As a teacher, you want to know that the work you do makes a difference. Having students share their experience with certification helps you see the impact you have! Our new Ask a Champion webinar series highlights former Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe Certified Professional Championship competitors. We talk with them about their experiences at the competition, how their teachers helped them, and how their lives have changed because of their certifications. It's just the shot of inspiration to keep you going!

For those who aren't familiar with our MOS Championship event, here's the deal. The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students' skills on Microsoft Office Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship. It's an incredible opportunity for students to showcase their talents on a world stage.

This episode includes the audio from our latest Ask a Champion webinar with former Microsoft Office Specialist Champion, Juan Manuel Suarez Garcia. Juan will share his experience at the Microsoft Championship, his advice for other competitors, and how his certifications led him to his career as an Analytics Engineer.

You can learn more about the MOS Championship at www.moschampionship.com.

You can also read Juan's story on our blog: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/March/From-MOS-to-Machine-Learning-Engineer.

Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.

If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

The Adobe Certified Professional World Championship presented by Certiport is a global competition that tests students' design skills using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Top students are invited to represent their respective countries at the World Championship where they will create a designated design project for Certiport's chosen nonprofit client. It's an incredible achievement for students and educators to compete in this fantastic event. However, many teachers are left wondering, "How do I get my students prepared?" Well, wonder no longer!

In this week's episode, we sat down with educator and Adobe Championship veteran, Jenny Mohess. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Jenny has lived in Osceola County (City of Kissimmee), for over 22 years. She first stepped onto Valencia's Campus in 2000 as an international student. There she earned an A.S. in Graphic Design. While working for Apple, she earned a bachelor's in business from USF, and master's in art education from Boston University. These experiences led to jobs at Apple, Microsoft, and eventually, her own design studio.

Jenny currently teaches at Valencia College and has found genuine purpose in mentoring future graphic/web designers through the Valencia Graphics Program. She is now building the program at Tohopekaliga High School and sharing real-world experiences with her students. Through all the real-world projects and certifications, her students are coming to the realization that they can become Adobe Certified Professional World Champions.

If you're interested in bringing students to compete in the Adobe Certified Professional Championship, this episode is for you. We talked with Jenny how to get students prepared for the Adobe Championship with design skills and expertise, how she funds her students' your travel, and how to prepare students with the soft skills they need to enjoy and capitalize on this incredible experience.

Interested in learning more about the Adobe Championship? Get all the details for the Adobe Certified Professional World Championship here: https://www.acachampionship.com/. You can also see all the details for the Adobe Certified Professional US National Championship here: https://us.acachampionship.com/.

Connect with Jenny on LinkedIn and hear more advice on how to help your student succeed in graphic design: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenartdesignstudio/.

As an educator, it's easy to get into a silo. Having a demanding teaching schedule can make collaborating and connecting with other educators seem impossible. However, those who reach outside the classroom can learn valuable lessons from other educators and expand their available resources. And Denise Spence has the experience to prove it.

Denise Spence has been an educator for almost 25 years. She has earned her master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction, emphasis in Instructional Technology. Over the years, Denise has taught the correlated course content and earned various IT certification credentials. Her accomplishments include being selected as 1 of 3 finalists for Lee County's Teacher of the Year in 2000; she was the 1st ever Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year for Lee County in 2006; she was named Certiport's Global Summit's Teacher of the Year for 2010. Denise was also a 2011 and a 2012 finalist for the Microsoft Innovation Forum.

During this episode, Denise talked about the value of collaborating and learning from other educators. She gives practical advice for how to find the time and tools to make collaboration easy.

Looking for opportunities to connect and collaborate with your fellow CTE educators? Join our Certiport Academy trainings each month! Get all the details on the Certiport blog: www.certiport.com/blog. You can see past sessions in our Educator Resource Library here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Educator-resources/Resources.

Podcast is edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC.

If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

According to a 2022 study by the CDC, 37% of U.S. high schoolers have faced mental health struggles amid the COVID pandemic. These struggles highlight students' need for a positive, welcoming environment during the new school year. We couldn't think of a better guest to discuss positivity than CERTIFIED Ambassador, Abner Soto-Henry.

Abner Soto-Henry has taught information technology education for nearly 20 years at the Latin American Youth Center Career Academy, specializing in Microsoft certifications, IC3 Digital Literacy certifications, and CompTIA certifications. In total, Mr. Soto-Henry has more than 24 years of experience in education.

Originally from Costa Rica, Abner speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, enabling him to connect with the students he serves. He has received several awards, including being named Certiport's 2021 Educator of the Year. A former professional soccer player, his passion for teaching is only rivaled by his love of the game.

In this episode, we talk with Abner about the positive and negative influences at play in the lives of today's students. Abner paints a picture of the ideal classroom and talks about ways to connect with students to make your dream classroom a reality. And last, but certainly not least, he offers advice for how to fill your own cup, so you can emanate positivity in the classroom each and every day.

Want to connect with Abner for more positive energy and advice? Reach out to him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-sotohenry20/. You can also learn more about Abner, and all our other CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.

Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC. If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

According to research from JP Morgan Chase & Co, over 99 percent of America's 28.7 million firms are small businesses. In fact, the vast majority (88 percent) of employer firms have fewer than 20 employees. Preparing your students to be effective employees means preparing them to be entrepreneurs.

We couldn't think of a better time to talk about entrepreneurship and design thinking than during our Month of Intuit, happening now! (https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/August/Month-of-Intuit-2022) We sat down with CERTIFIED Ambassador and entrepreneurship guru, Christina Deibler, to discuss entrepreneurship and design-thinking education.

Christina Deibler currently teaches Entrepreneurship and Small Business and Project Management to her business and technology students at her alma mater, Wakulla High School in Crawfordville, Florida. Prior to becoming a teacher, she was a business and human resource professional as a Florida State University graduate with a degree in Business Management. She recently chose to change her path and help empower students to reach their goals in life and turn dreams into reality by employing her background in Business Management and Operations, as well as Project Management to help students forge their own path ahead in life.

In this episode, we chat with Christina about the value of entrepreneurship and problem solving skills, plus the intersection of design thinking and entrepreneurship. Christina also gives so project ideas that you can use to spark the entrepreneurial spirit in your classroom.

Learn more about Christina and our other CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.

Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC. If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

There's nothing more gratifying as a teacher than watching your student excel. Finding ways to engage and challenge students requires effort and creativity. To help spark some ideas, we brought in Katie Watchorn.

Katie is a Digital Business Education Career & Technical Education Instructor at the Sault Area High School's Career Center. She discovered her passion for teaching while living in Italy, where she taught General/Business English, proofread scientific articles, edited CVs, advised on business presentations, designed email templates, and offered marketing services. She joined her Alma Mater in 2019 with the intention of helping students to discover what they really enjoy and what they want to do in their life. Throughout her professional career, Katie has worked within the marketing and sales sectors in Fort Lauderdale, FL and Milan, Italy for 7 years. Her objective is to inspire students, by bringing her industry experience into the classroom.

In this episode, we talked with Katie about how to help your students achieve more using creative resources, unique assignments, and project-based learning. Katie has some amazing resources that she's happy to share with other interested listeners. You can connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-watchorn-unipi/.

Learn more about Katie and all our CERTIFIED Ambassadors here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors.

Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC. If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "urban educators report the growing challenges of educating urban youth who are increasingly presenting problems such as poverty, limited English proficiency, family instability, and poor health." Overcoming these obstacles and educating young people in urban areas can prove challenging. However, Tracey Sigers wants to change the narrative. Rather than look at urban education as challenging and difficult, she wants employers and teachers to see these areas and students as "untapped resources".

Tracey Sigers is the Department Chair of Information Technology at the National Center for Urban Solutions in Columbus, Ohio. Tracey holds an MBA with an emphasis in technology leadership, a bachelor's degree in information technology, and an associate degree in technology. Tracey has twenty years of business background in computer systems management, college study skills, and Microsoft software experience. In addition to her experience with Microsoft, Tracy also works with the Adobe Certified Professional program, the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification, the IT Specialist program, and the IC3 Digital Literacy certification.

In this episode, we sat down with Tracey to discuss why certification is valuable in these "untapped" communities. She shares her experience with helping students certify their skills, helping them find jobs, and how employers in the community are taking notice.

Connect with Tracey (and the other CERTIFIED Ambassadors) here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2022/May/Meet-the-CERTIFIED-Ambassadors. You can also learn more about the value of certification here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/About/The-value-of-certification.

Podcast edited and managed by Haili Murch LLC. If you are interested in starting a podcast or you are currently a podcaster needing help managing or relaunching your podcast, you may email Haili Murch at [email protected] or you can click here to book a call: https://calendly.com/hailimurch/podcast-discovery-call