Arrrrrrr, ye swarthy land lubbers. Come set sail with your pirate captain, the Dread Pirate Jim and his pirate crew as we set sail on the seven seas to find the finest treasure in the land – knowledge!

In this series our trusty pirates set sail on the Sea of Thieves, and share their galleon with a range of special guests from across the tech industry. Each episode will mix sharing tales of tech quests large and small to pass the time whilst we sail, with intense piratical action as we try to claim treasure. This is the only series from the Microsoft Reactor where you can both learn how folks have achieved greatness in their fields, whilst watching how good or terrible they are at video games. So come join our crew, bring your questions for our guests, and let's all #BeMorePirate!

In this episode:

A good pirate crew supports the next generation of pirates, providing them with training and opportunities to terrorize the seven seas and seize treasure. Microsoft is the same – at Microsoft there is a strong focus on the next generation of developers ensuring they have the support and opportunities to not only grow their tech skills but demonstrate these skills in ways that increase their employability or use their skills to empower their peers.

For this session, our crew is joined by Jennifer Ritzinger, the General Manager of the Next Generation Experiences team at Microsoft, and Pablo Veramendi, director of audience evangelism and the brains behind the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador and Imagine Cup programs.

We will be digging up treasure whilst discussing topics including the career backgrounds for our guests, how Microsoft is upskilling students and educators, how students can help their peers and increase their employability via the Microsoft Learn student ambassador program, and how teams of students all around the world can win many pieces of eight by bringing their ideas to the Imagine Cup.

Useful Event Resources:
https://aka.ms/MSLearnEducators
https://aka.ms/MSLearnforStudent
https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/
https://studentambassadors.microsoft.com/

Speakers:
Jim Bennett, Regional Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Jim is a Regional Cloud Advocate focusing on building out and skilling communities in the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on the Microsoft Reactor in Redmond, Washington. He’s British, so sounds way smarter than he actually is, and is happy he moved to Redmond in time to be locked down at home and not see the office he came to work in, or the places he wanted to visit. In the past he’s lived in 4 continents working as a developer in the mobile, desktop, and scientific space. He's spoken at conferences and events all around the globe, organized meetup groups and communities, and written a book on mobile development.

Jennifer Ritzinger, General Manager of the Next Generation Experiences team, Microsoft

Pablo Veramendi, Director of Audience Evangelism, Microsoft