Hi, I'm Duke from Nexus, I’m proud to share a meaningful milestone in my professional journey:
I have officially become a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE).
For me, this is more than another certification or title.
It represents more than a decade of learning, building, researching, writing, contributing to technology communities, and — most recently — bringing AI, programming, and STEM into education.
Looking back, the journey has taken me through many different roles:
Technology Writer → Researcher → Software Engineer → Open Source Contributor → AI Practitioner → Educator
And becoming an MIEE feels like a natural continuation of that journey.
2013 — Where It All Started
My professional journey began with something very simple:
sharing what I learned.
In 2013, I started publishing technology articles in Khoa học Phổ thông, a science and technology magazine in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
At that time, I was fascinated by software development and emerging technologies.
Writing about technology forced me to understand concepts more deeply and explain them in a way that other people could understand.
I didn't know it at the time, but this would become one of the foundations of my future journey as an educator.
2014 — Research, Programming & Microsoft
In 2014, I started combining research with software development.
2 of my research projects were officially recognized and archived at the Library Center of the University of Sciences, Hue University.
That same year, I received the Special Prize in a mobile application programming competition organized by Microsoft.
This was an important moment for me.
It showed me that technology wasn't simply something to study.
It was something I could create with.
2017 — Sharing Technical Knowledge
My journey of sharing technical knowledge continued.
In 2017, I published two in-depth technical articles about Hyper-V architecture, published in March and May.
Writing technical content became an important part of my professional development.
Every time I wrote an article, I had to ask myself:
Can I explain this clearly enough for someone else to understand?
That question eventually became even more important when I entered education.
2024-2025 — Community, AI & Innovation
From 2024 to 2025, I continued contributing to the developer and technology community.
I was again recognized as a Hacktoberfest Super Contributor.
I was also selected by the DEV Community admin team as a moderator.
During the same year, my work increasingly moved toward AI and technology innovation.
I was invited 4 times to serve as a judge for international AI competitions.
I also received a global Hacktoberfest Writing Challenge award.
At the same time, I began working more seriously on technology innovation and intellectual property.
I submitted three national-level inventions/technology solutions, two of which passed the initial formal examination stage.
These experiences gradually changed the way I thought about technology.
I became increasingly interested not only in:
"How does this technology work?"
but also:
"How can this technology help people learn, create, and solve real problems?"
2025–2026 — Deepening My Microsoft Journey
Microsoft has been part of my technology journey since the beginning.
Over 2025–2026, I earned 7 international Microsoft technology certifications.
But certifications were never the final goal.
They were tools for continuously expanding my technical knowledge and understanding how Microsoft's ecosystem can be applied to real-world problems.
At the same time, I became increasingly interested in the intersection between:
- Software engineering
- Artificial intelligence
- Education
- STEM
- Programming
- Innovation
And that eventually brought me into the classroom.
Becoming an Educator
Teaching changed the way I looked at technology.
As a software engineer, I often asked:
"How can I build this?"
As an educator, I started asking:
"How can I help someone else learn to build this?"
That is a very different question.
When working with secondary students, I discovered that learning programming and AI does not always need to begin with complicated theory.
Students need opportunities to:
- Experiment
- Build
- Make mistakes
- Debug
- Collaborate
- Present
- Improve
- Create something they can actually see and use
This led me to develop learning activities around:
- Python programming
- Artificial intelligence
- STEM
- Computer vision
- Voice processing
- Chatbots
- Generative AI
- Prompt engineering
- AI-assisted programming
- Project-based learning
My goal is simple:
Move students from being consumers of technology to becoming creators with technology.
2026 — AI Education & Intellectual Property
In 2026, I continued expanding my knowledge beyond software engineering.
I earned 2 certifications related to intellectual property from WIPO — the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations.
I also earned 2 certifications related to teaching Scratch and AI to secondary students from the University of Chicago and Google.
These experiences helped me explore the intersection of:
AI + Creativity + Programming + Education + Responsible Technology
For me, AI education should not simply teach students how to use AI tools.
It should also help them understand:
- What AI can do
- What AI cannot do
- How to evaluate AI-generated information
- How to use AI responsibly
- How to create with AI rather than simply consume it
AI should not replace thinking.
It should give students new ways to think, experiment, create, and solve problems.
Becoming a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert
And now, another milestone:
I became a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. 🎓
This recognition is especially meaningful because Microsoft has been part of my technology journey for more than a decade.
For me, becoming an MIEE is not the end of the journey.
It is a new beginning.
It motivates me to continue exploring how Microsoft technologies, AI, programming, and STEM can create better learning experiences for students.
More importantly, it gives me an opportunity to share what I learn with other educators and communities.
A Journey of More Than Certificates
Looking back, my journey can be summarized like this:
2013 — Technology Writing
- Published technology articles in Khoa học Phổ thông, Ho Chi Minh City.
2014 — Research & Programming
- Two research projects officially recognized and archived at the Library Center, University of Sciences, Hue University.
- Special Prize in a Microsoft mobile application programming competition.
2017 — Technical Knowledge Sharing
- Published two in-depth articles about Hyper-V architecture.
2024 — .NET & Open Source
- Recognized by DEV Community as a Top 3 .NET technology writer to follow.
- Recognized as a DigitalOcean Hacktoberfest Super Contributor.
2025 — International Community & Innovation
- Recognized again as a Hacktoberfest Super Contributor.
- Selected as a DEV Community moderator.
- Invited four times as a judge for international AI competitions.
- Received a global Hacktoberfest Writing Challenge award.
- Submitted three national-level inventions/technology solutions, with two passing initial formal examination.
2025–2026 — Microsoft
- Earned 7 international Microsoft technology certifications.
2026 — AI Education & Intellectual Property
- Earned 2 WIPO certifications.
- Earned 2 certifications related to teaching Scratch and AI to secondary students from the University of Chicago and Google.
- Interviewed twice by Báo Thừa Thiên Huế about my professional work.
- Became a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert.
What Comes Next?
Becoming an MIEE is a milestone, but it is not my destination.
My focus is increasingly centered around:
AI + Coding + STEM + Education
I want to help students move beyond simply using technology.
I want them to understand it.
Question it.
Build with it.
And use it responsibly.
I also want to continue sharing what I learn with other educators, developers, and technology communities.
Because throughout my journey, one idea has remained constant:
Technology becomes more meaningful when we use it to help other people learn, create, and grow.
From writing my first technology articles in 2013...
To building software...
To contributing to open source...
To working with AI...
To stepping into the classroom...
And now becoming a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert...
The journey continues.
Thank you to everyone who has supported, challenged, collaborated with, and learned alongside me throughout this journey.
This is not the finish line. It's the next chapter.
