Joseph Barto, a rising junior double-majoring in Computer Science and Cybersecurity, became the first-ever Stetson student to reach the podium – placing third – at the 2024 Microsoft Office Specialist Excel State Championship Spring Qualifier earlier this year.

“It definitely means a lot to be recognized for this,” he said. “It felt great to find out I was a finalist, especially when I found out that so many schools from the entire state of Florida participated.”

Microsoft Office qualifiers lead up to a national championship competition, where participants are able to showcase their Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills, as well as expand their career networks.

Barto, 19, was able to participate in the qualifier after taking advantage of Stetson’s free certifications program, Stetson Certs, which is hosted by the Career Success team and generously supported by alumna Susan Perry Brockway.

“Certifications are growing in popularity as a way for people to showcase their career-ready skills to employers,” said Anne Fayson, assistant director of Career Success. “Joey’s accomplishment demonstrates how participation in our certifications can help you gain industry recognition, even by Fortune 500 companies such as Microsoft.”

As the owner of a small technical support business named JB Tech, Barto, who lives in DeBary, believes the opportunity to get certified in different Microsoft programs will aid him when assisting current and future clients.

“JB Tech is mainly local, but I’ve done business with clients located elsewhere too, over the phone or video chat, to help with different tech problems,” he said. “This certification has come in handy a few times when I’ve had to generate spreadsheets.”

Barto registered to take the PowerPoint and Excel Expert certifications to advance his knowledge and skills, which will – without a doubt – serve him in his professional career.

“Joey is a hardworking and dedicated student on track to be one of our highest-ranked juniors in Cyber Security,” Fayson said. “We hope to continue to support his career journey in every way possible.”

– Andrea Mujica