{"id":2419,"date":"2025-07-31T19:29:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T19:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/?p=2419"},"modified":"2025-12-10T05:46:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T05:46:48","slug":"who-are-the-microsoft-mvps-%f0%9f%8c%9f-and-how-to-become-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/31\/who-are-the-microsoft-mvps-%f0%9f%8c%9f-and-how-to-become-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the Microsoft MVPs \ud83c\udf1f and how to become one?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Becoming a Microsoft MVP isn\u2019t about chasing a title\u2014it\u2019s about embracing a mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the community lead of&nbsp;<strong>Cloud Marathoner<\/strong>, I\u2019ve had the privilege of walking alongside cloud engineers, architects, and passionate tech enthusiasts who are building, sharing, and growing together. Many of them ask me:&nbsp;<em>\u201cHow do I become a Microsoft MVP?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer is both simple and profound:&nbsp;<strong>do what you love and give back<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A-wide-angle-photo-of-a-community-tech-event-or-user-group-meetup.-The-presenter-is-a-Middle-Eastern.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2424\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A-wide-angle-photo-of-a-community-tech-event-or-user-group-meetup.-The-presenter-is-a-Middle-Eastern.png 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A-wide-angle-photo-of-a-community-tech-event-or-user-group-meetup.-The-presenter-is-a-Middle-Eastern-300x300.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A-wide-angle-photo-of-a-community-tech-event-or-user-group-meetup.-The-presenter-is-a-Middle-Eastern-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/A-wide-angle-photo-of-a-community-tech-event-or-user-group-meetup.-The-presenter-is-a-Middle-Eastern-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udded What Is a Microsoft MVP?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<strong>Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP)<\/strong>&nbsp;award recognizes exceptional community leaders who share their expertise, uplift others, and contribute meaningfully to the tech ecosystem. It\u2019s not a certification\u2014it\u2019s a celebration of consistent, authentic impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the&nbsp;official <a href=\"https:\/\/mvp.microsoft.com\/en-US\/mvp\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsoft MVP site<\/a>, the MVPs are selected for their contributions across blogs, talks, open-source projects, user groups, and more. They are the spark that keeps the community thriving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udee4\ufe0f My Journey: From Passion to Purpose<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When I started&nbsp;<strong>Cloud Marathoner<\/strong>, it was just a blog. But it quickly became a movement\u2014a space where cloud professionals could learn, share, and grow together. I didn\u2019t set out to become an MVP. I set out to help others to succeed in their unique Cloud journey.  And that\u2019s the secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Betsy Weber, Microsoft Program Manager beautifully put it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t follow the crowd\u2014find your gap and fill it with passion, creativity, and community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udf89 Celebrating Microsoft AWARD<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, I\u2019m incredibly honored to celebrate my\u00a0<strong>4th consecutive Microsoft MVP award<\/strong>\u00a0recognition from Microsoft. It\u2019s a meaningful milestone that reflects the many community events, sessions, and contributions I\u2019ve wholeheartedly delivered over the last year. My focus remains strong on\u00a0<strong>Infrastructure as Code<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Cloud Optimization<\/strong>, while I continue to explore and share innovations in\u00a0<strong>AI<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>GitHub Copilot<\/strong>\u00a0to empower and uplift our community of cloud engineers, architects, and tech enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udde9 Find Your Gap, Fill It with Passion<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to be the loudest voice. You need to be the most&nbsp;<em>authentic<\/em>&nbsp;one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83c\udfa8 Like MVP Luise Freese, who turned technical content into sketchnotes that even Satya Nadella noticed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83c\udf0d Like Sharon Weaver, who kept her user group alive through the pandemic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83c\udfa4 Like Lee Englestone, who built a Visual Studio tips site that led to talks and a book.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Each of them found a unique way to give back. So can you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\uddf1 actionable Steps to Becoming a Microsoft MVP<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be an Expert<\/strong><br>Master your craft. Stay current. Share what you learn.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be a Leader<\/strong><br>Start a user group. Mentor others. Create inclusive spaces.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be an Advocate<\/strong><br>Provide feedback to Microsoft. Champion tools that help others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be Consistent<\/strong><br>MVP is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep showing up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be Visible<\/strong><br>Blog, speak, stream, post\u2014whatever suits your style. Just share.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcac Final Thoughts: Your Spark \u2728 Matters<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need permission to start. You don\u2019t need a title to lead. You just need to care enough to contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re streaming your learning journey, launching a user group, or writing your first blog post\u2014<strong>you\u2019re already on the path<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So go ahead. Share your knowledge. Be helpful. Look for gaps to fill.<br>The community is waiting for your spark. \u2728<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_2419\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"2419\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"chart-bar\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-chart-bar fa-w-16 fa-2x\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M396.8 352h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V108.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v230.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm-192 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V140.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v198.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zm96 0h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8V204.8c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v134.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8zM496 400H48V80c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16H16C7.16 64 0 71.16 0 80v336c0 17.67 14.33 32 32 32h464c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16v-16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16zm-387.2-48h22.4c6.4 0 12.8-6.4 12.8-12.8v-70.4c0-6.4-6.4-12.8-12.8-12.8h-22.4c-6.4 0-12.8 6.4-12.8 12.8v70.4c0 6.4 6.4 12.8 12.8 12.8z\" class=\"\"><\/path><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Becoming a Microsoft MVP isn\u2019t about chasing a title\u2014it\u2019s about embracing a mission. As the community lead of&nbsp;Cloud Marathoner, I\u2019ve had the privilege of walking alongside cloud engineers, architects, and passionate tech enthusiasts who are building, sharing, and growing together. Many of them ask me:&nbsp;\u201cHow do I become a Microsoft MVP?\u201d The answer is both &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/31\/who-are-the-microsoft-mvps-%f0%9f%8c%9f-and-how-to-become-one\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Who are the Microsoft MVPs \ud83c\udf1f and how to become one?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,8,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-microsoft-learn","category-microsoft-mvp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2419"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2427,"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions\/2427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecloudmarathoner.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}