Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Program(MLSA): Detailed Guide

Since childhood, I loved participating in various club activities and events. When I entered college, being a beginner in the tech field, I was quite eager to explore various developer communities and related programs. I believe that in a community we can seek guidance through mentors, connect with developers with similar interests and stay motivated. Whenever I meet other developers, I learn a lot from them through their experiences and mistakes.

One day while scrolling through LinkedIn, I saw a post regarding ongoing applications for Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador (or MLSA) Program. I got curious to know about the program and its benefits. I filled the application with my instincts and beliefs around November 2020. In January 2020, I received a mail saying that I got selected as Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. Being a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador, I got to be a part of such an amazing and helpful community of developers where everyone is always ready to help. Joining the community definitely has been a wonderful experience ever since.

I often find people asking questions regarding the applications, skills needed, how to join, how the MLSA community works, etc. So if you also have such doubts coming up in your mind, then you are at the right place. This blog will help you know about the Microsoft Student Learn Ambassador Program, how to apply for it, the perks and benefits of joining the community, and the eligibility criteria for becoming an MLSA.

What is the Microsoft Student Learn Ambassador Program?

• The Microsoft Student Learn Ambassador Program is a worldwide educational program to sponsor undergraduate and postgraduate students majoring in disciplines related to technology. The MLSA program attempts to enhance students’ employability by offering training in skills not usually taught in academia, including knowledge of Microsoft technologies.
• The program aims to increase awareness of Microsoft products, programs, and initiatives and hence helps to expand the user base of Microsoft products resulting in better availability of a properly educated workforce in those technologies.

Work of Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors

• Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors are global on-campus leaders who have a passion to help their peers, share technological ideas with them, and develop technical and career skills for the future.
• There are three milestones within the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Program, i.e, Alpha, Beta, and Gold. Once an MLSA fulfills the requirements to reach a milestone, then the MLSA is promoted to the next level and can unlock the respective benefits of the next level.
• MLSAs have the responsibility to build a strong technical community on their campus and share the knowledge that they gain within the community by organizing different meetups, workshops, hackathons. They also mentor other fellow students by giving presentations, solving doubts, and developing projects.
• All new ambassadors, only after completing the learning path are promoted to Alpha. After hosting their first event as an MLSA, they are further promoted to Beta. Gold Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors are those who have done exceptional work for the community by hosting events, mentoring other students in the program, and creating a strong network.

Perks and benefits of being an MLSA

The benefits of working in a community are endless. But the other benefits and opportunities that an MLSA gets are listed below:-

• Free access to Microsoft Certification Exams
• Free MSDN Subscription
• Access to Office 365, plus TechSmith Snagit and Camtasia screen capture and recording software
• Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription and $150 monthly Azure Credits
• Event Support
• Engagement with Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs)
• Student Partner Milestone badges
• Funded traveling and event opportunities
• Amazing swags like T-Shirt, pen drive, backpacks, and many more
• Networking opportunities across the Globe

How to apply for Microsoft Student Learn Ambassador Program?

The application process of Microsoft Student Learn Ambassador is quite simple and easy. The steps are mentioned below:-

• Go to the official Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors website. After logging in with your Microsoft account, read the Privacy Policy.
• The application consists of 5 sections that include:-

1. Personal Information

As the name suggests, here you have to fill out your personal information and the basic details.

2. School Information

In this section, you have to fill in details about your academics and Institution.

3. Written Sample

Now comes the most important section of the application. You have to answer either with a written sample or a video made in under 2 mins. Your essays or video will display your enthusiasm and passion for community engagement as well as your communication and technical skills (to some extent) to the reviewers of the application. So, fill it very carefully. The questions are simple and based on your leadership skills and passion for technology.

Tip1:- How to write the essay questions?

• Be realistic and honest with your answers.
• Express openly about your community engagement and your future plans.
• Talk about your journey into the tech field and which technology inspires you the most and why.
• While answering the question — how you will teach a technical concept to a student who is a complete noob at it, Consider yourself to be in place of the beginner and try to choose a simple topic that you are comfortable with and can talk about it as your leadership and mentorship skills will be evaluated here. Elaborate on the ways/practices you will adopt to teach a beginner.
• Show your willingness to help your peers out in different ways.
• You can also quote some instances to show your leadership skills and passion for technology.

Tip2: Make sure you have submitted at least 1 video answer.

4. Additional Information

In this section, you have to fill in the social links, which indicate your activity on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Stack Overflow, Instagram, Github, etc. This section works as an achievements section on your resume. So try to make the best use of it.

5. Technical Skills

In this section, choose the technologies that interest you, whether you have worked with them or not.

Heading forward to the application, there is an additional box “Is there anything else you would like to share with us” which is very useful when you have to update your application for any further achievements before it goes in for review. You can list your achievements and contributions here. I will suggest making use of it.

Tip3:- Give enough time for the written sample and video. Think over the answers for a couple of days, don’t think to submit the application within a day. Most important, Be Honest!

You are ready to go! Write your application with passion and give the best shot. All the best.

Selection Procedure

• Once the application is filled and submitted, you can edit it until the time it goes under review.
• Applications are open the whole year and will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Thanks for going through this article and I hope it is of some help to you. If you have any queries, feel free to comment or reach out to me on LinkedIn and Twitter.