Individuals representing countries from around the world garner accolades in digital literacy and desktop productivity competitions

ORLANDO (Certiport PATHWAYS 2007) – July 21, 2007

Certiport today announced this year's World Champions for the most prolific competition on Microsoft® Office hail from El Salvador, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. In its fifth year, the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office presented by Certiport boasts more than 33,000 students from 74 countries who participated in several rounds of local, country and regional competitions, capped by the world championship round in Orlando, Florida, USA. In addition, winners of the first ever IC³ World Cup, a Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) program competition, were also recognized.

This year's World Champions are:

Pre-college, Microsoft Word: Luis Rodolfo Hasbun, 16, from San Salvador, El Salvador
Pre-college, Microsoft Excel: Mi-Sun Kim, 17, from Seoul, South Korea
College, Microsoft Word: Lup Peng Loke, 19, from Singapore
College, Microsoft Excel: Chatchanwan Khamyong, 21, from Chiang Mai, Thailand

The four world champions of the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office were recognized for their accomplishments in ceremonies at the Certiport PATHWAYS™ 2007 conference in Orlando where 38 country winners competed.

"This feels great, a dream come true," said Lup Peng Loke. "In an academic sense, I can be more proficient in the tools I use; and in my career, I can add value ... to my employer."

Each Champion will receive a trophy and a grand prize package worth more than $4,500 USD. The package includes a Dell™ Notebook Computer with Windows Vista™ and Microsoft Office 2003, Pocket PC Phone with Microsoft® Windows Mobile™, Microsoft® Zune™ MP3 player, Microsoft® Xbox 360™ Console and Game Bundle, Microsoft® Learning Courseware, Microsoft® E-Learning, and Certification Bundle.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for these young people," said Robert Leavengood, product manager for Microsoft® Learning. "It means a lot to us as Microsoft® to see them make such a meaningful achievement. With the skills they have gained through preparation and Microsoft® Office certification, they will be the future movers and shakers in business and in their countries."

The Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office has grown steadily in world coverage since its inauguration in 2002 as a regional event in Asia. This year's Competition has seen participation jump to an additional 33 countries over 2005.

In its first year as an international competition, Certiport also recognized the top achievers of this year's IC³ World Cup at PATHWAYS. From a total of 80 participating teams, the winners of this year's IC³ World Cup are team "Colegio Universitario Boston" from Costa Rica representing the Americas; team "Fermosa" from Taiwan representing Asia-Pacific; and team "Technokids-Technoplus AG Paraskevi" from Greece representing Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The second-place teams in each region include "Orem Jr" from the United States, "Dragon Team" from China and "Bits and Grips" from Germany.

Together, the top teams garnered over $30,000 in prizes including Dell™ computers, Apple® iPods and team T-shirts. "Coaches" from the first-place teams also won an all-expense-paid trip to Disney World in Orlando for Certiport PATHWAYS 2007.

To learn more about Certiport PATHWAYS 2007, go to www.certiport.com/pathways. For more information about the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office presented by Certiport or the IC³ World Cup, visit www.certiport.com/competition or www.certiport.com/ic3cup, respectively.

About Certiport

Certiport prepares individuals and communities with current and relevant digital skills and credentials for the competitive global workforce. These solutions include Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®) and the Microsoft® Office Specialist certification programs delivered by more than 12,000 Certiport Centers worldwide. For more information, visit www.certiport.com.

"Certiport" and "IC³" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. "Microsoft" is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Contact:

John Pilmer
801-369-7535
mediarelations@certiport.com