Lake Land College students Jared Kelly of Effingham and Jennifer Uthell of Teutopolis placed among the top students in Illinois in the 2024 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) State Championship.
The MOS State Championship consists of six certification exams covering Microsoft Office products such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Kelly placed among the top competitors in Illinois in two categories, earning second place in Excel and fifth place in PowerPoint.
“I’ve been using Microsoft products for a long time. They’re actually one of the earliest things I ever learned to use on a computer,” Kelly said. “Finding out I finished that high in the entire state felt cool.”
Uthell, meanwhile, finished fourth in Illinois for Microsoft Word.
“The exam included things like editing documents, layouts and table of contents,” Uthell said. “I really only started using Word since I started school here, and Lake Land has helped me expand my skills.”
Kelly and Uthell both participated in the competition through the Advanced Software Applications Course. In place of traditional tests, students in the course take the MOS exams, which provide students with nationally recognized credentials for passing, said Lisa Earp, Business Instructor/Program Coordinator of Office Professionals/Director of Court Reporting & Captioning.
“The great thing about the MOS exams is that they are industry-standard assessments, and finishing among the top in the state proves to potential employers that you’ve mastered the material,” Earp said. “It was super exciting to find out that they both placed so well.”
Earp also earned an award for Outstanding Educator in Illinois during the MOS State Championship.