TechMan: Technological prodigy was inspiration in Pakistan
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A shining light of the computer world passed away recently, and her death was little noted in the United States, possibly because she was a 16-year-old girl from Pakistan.
Arfa Karim Randhawa at age 9 became one of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals in the world. This difficult accomplishment, which eludes some adults, was made by a girl from a society where women sometimes have limited opportunities and some conservative elements see technology as a tool of the West.
To appreciate her accomplishment, you have to know that an MCP is earned upon passing one or more challenging exams.
Exams usually take between two and three hours to complete, and they consist of answering a variety of questions and showing the ability to do tasks required for professional administration of Microsoft products.
This is not something you get by mailing in a box top and 50 cents.
That a 9-year-old would receive such a thing is nothing short of amazing.
But Arfa is apparently not the youngest MCP in the world. That honor goes to Mridul Seth, an 8-year-old boy from Bangalore, India, who only learned to speak four years ago because of a severe hearing disability.
Arfa got excited about technology when her father bought her a computer.
She was invited by Microsoft to visit the company's Redmond, Wash., campus, where she met with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. According to online newspaper Seattlepi.com, she questioned him about what she perceived to be the relatively small proportion of women on the company's campus.
"It should be balanced -- an equal amount of men and an equal amount of women," she said afterward.
Arfa described Mr. Gates as an "ideal personality," explaining that he had been second only to Disneyland on the list of things she wanted to see in the United States.
Her one-on-one meeting with Mr. Gates was part of a weeklong visit to better introduce her to the company and to give people at headquarters a chance to meet her. The week included lab tours and a series of informal sessions with Microsoft executives and employees.
In August 2005, Arfa was presented the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of science and technology. She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award from the president of Pakistan.
She also was the youngest recipient of the President's Award for Pride of Performance, a civil award granted to those who have shown excellence in their fields.
At the age of 10, she earned a license to pilot an airplane.
On Dec. 22, 2011, inexplicable tragedy struck.
Arfa, now 16 and in high school, suffered an epileptic seizure that damaged her brain and threw her into cardiac arrest. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Mr. Gates contacted her parents and directed his doctors to adopt "every kind of measure" for her treatment. Mr. Gates set up a special panel of international doctors who remained in contact with local doctors through teleconference.
On Jan. 13, she seemed to rally and her brain functions showed signs of improvement. Microsoft contacted her family about the possibility of moving her to a U.S. hospital.
The next day, just before 10 p.m., Arfa died.
Her funeral was held Jan. 15, and that same day the chief minister of Punjab, in which she lived, announced the name of Lahore Technology Park would be changed to Arfa Software Technology Park.
A few days later, the prime minister of Pakistan approved a stamp in her honor.
Arfa once told Todd Bishop of GeekWire: "If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only in the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident, you act confident. Therefore, never let shyness conquer your mind."
First Published January 29, 2012 12:00 am
