Carmina Solares, a first-year Mechatronics Engineering student at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), recently participated in the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championship, where she placed seventh globally in the Excel category. Her journey and achievements have been featured in a documentary produced by an Australian company.
Solares’s interest in Excel began during her studies at Colegio Bilingüe Vista Hermosa, where certification in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel was mandatory for all students. She obtained her certification in her third year of high school and excelled further in her fourth year. Her outstanding results secured her a spot in the national round of the competition, where she won first place and qualified for the world championship.
The MOS World Championship took place in Orlando, Florida, bringing together more than 400 participants from around the globe. "The full exam lasted an entire day and presented quite complicated problems," said Solares about the event. Despite the challenges, she achieved seventh place worldwide.
During the international competition, an Australian production team selected Solares as one of six students from countries including Greece, Cameroon, Australia, United States, Philippines, and Guatemala to be featured in a documentary about their experiences. The filming followed Solares closely throughout the competition. "A camera followed me during the competition, even when I was facing intense nerves during the exam," she recounted. The documentary was filmed in 2023 and premiered in Australia in August; its global release is scheduled for November 13, 2025.
Reflecting on her experience at both the competition and being part of a documentary project, Solares said: "The competition and filming showed me the importance of taking on challenges and believing in myself. I also learned to trust my abilities."
As a Mechatronics Engineering student at UVG, Solares sees a strong connection between her field of study and spreadsheet work. She explained that using Excel requires not just understanding tables and formulas but also reasoning skills and imagination to develop complex solutions.
This focus on problem-solving aligns with UVG’s approach to education that encourages technical creativity and strategic thinking.
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