She saw her first computer lab at age 5 and was powerpointing at 7. At age 9 she was a Microsoft Certified Professional. Now 10 years old, Afra Karim Randhawa, from Pakistan, is working on Lead Developer Certification. Recently, Afra and her father were invited to Redmond, Washington to meet Bill Gates, whom she grilled about the dearth of women she saw working for Microsoft. She said, “Come to Kakistan. You’ll find women interested in technology.”
She hopes to be the youngest MIT or Harvard graduate, after which, she will return to Pakistan.
This is the first of a new category I’m adding to 2¢ Worth — Flat World.
Gandin, Jennifer. “She’s Got Code.” WIRED Magazine December 2005: 56.