considered to be the youngest in the world
with that title, passed away this weekend after
suffering health complications since December.
Arfa Karim, who became the world's youngest Microsoft certified professional in 2005 at the age of nine, suffered an epileptic seizure and cardiac arrest on December 22, 2011 and had been in a coma since late December. She passed away this weekend in Pakistan after a tracheotomy complication led to bleeding in her throat on Saturday.
"We are grieving her loss but she was a strong child," said Karim's uncle. "She was God's gift to us and now she has returned to Him."
The Microsoft certified professional title is handed to those who are skilled in the use of Microsoft programs. After becoming a certified professional in 2005, Karim was invited to Microsoft's Redmond, Washington campus by Bill Gates himself. She toured the labs and met with Microsoft executives as well as Gates.
That same year, Karim received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award from Pakistan's only Nobel Laureate Dr. Abdul Salam, and also won the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance.
After Karim fell ill, Gates offered to pay for her medical care and even suggested bringing her to the United States, but her doctors rejected the idea since she was on a ventilator.
The young prodigy now leaves many wondering what she could have accomplished in the field of information technology had she been given the opportunity.
"If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind," said Karim in an interview with Seattle P-l. "If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident, you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind."
Comments