A West Virginia student recently brought home bronze in an international contest.
Andrew Manteau earned third place for Microsoft Excel at the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in July. The championship, held in Anaheim, California, this year, is an annual event that tests students’ knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
“Students in the Mountain State are capable of tremendous success, and Andrew’s accomplishment is proof of that,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt in a statement. “He has committed himself to academic excellence through career technical education (CTE) and other pursuits that have set him on the world stage. I am honored to congratulate him, his family and his instructors who all fostered a love of learning.”
More than 900,000 participants around the world completed a certification exam in 2024.
Students qualify for the state-level competition based on satisfactory scores on the certification exams, which are available to West Virginia students.
Manteau, a 2024 Weir High School graduate, represented West Virginia and was the only student from the U.S. to place among more than 105,000 submissions from 87 countries.
“I have work study, so I think these certifications will help me when I’m working in college,” Manteau said. “I encourage students to always go for it. I have these wonderful certifications that I earned for free, and I can take them with me into the workforce.”
He will study computer science at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland this fall.
In addition to a bronze medal, Manteau received a $2,000 cash prize and an XBox wireless headset.
