Arfa Karim Randhawa who achieved the status of being the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional at 9 years old, has passed away. She was 16, according to reports out of Pakistan.
Arfa has been in hospital for almost a month after reportedly suffering an epileptic seizure and heart attack. She however managed to improve two weeks ago. Microsoft recently stepped in to cover the medical expenses.
Arfa was extremely proud of her accomplishment as the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional, even including the phrase “Youngest MCP in the World” in her email signature line.
Speaking to Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, Major Ahsan Randhawa, Arfa’s uncle, articulated the family’s grief as best as he could. “We are grieving her loss but she was a strong child”, he said – adding “she was God’s gift to us and now she has returned to Him”.
As you’ll hear at the end, Arfa at 10 years old had also settled on her philosophy of life, and committed it to memory. She told me about it after our interview, when she was having her picture taken outside, so I turned my recorder back on and asked her to repeat it for me on tape.
“If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind,” she said. “If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind.”
Arfa was on life support at the Intensive Care Unit while close relatives and friends watched with bated breath. She suffered some complication on Saturday evening which saw her being shifted to the emergency room. She died while being shifted to the operating theatre.
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