“If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only the mind. If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind.”

These are the words of no ordinary girl; a spark of hope, a brilliance of a genius, a girl with insight, a brain that poured out intellect, a refined mind, an angel with an innocent face and eyes that shone with confidence, Yes, Arfa Kareem Randhawa is her name. She rose from the soil of the village of Chak No. 4JB Ram Dewali in Faisalabad, Punjab and made the world hail Pakistan.

Awards:

While many of us yearn for a coveted computer certificate for years, Arfa Kareem in the year 2004 snapped the title of the youngest Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) in the world at the age of nine years, nine months and 11 days only. She held the title for four years and made it look as easy as a pie. Microsoft owner Bill Gates invited her to visit the company’s headquarters in the US. Software Development Division Vice President Somasegar also acknowledged her achievement in his blog. It wasn’t the only award Arfa secured that year. The MCPs title was followed by “Shabash Award” from Mir Khalil Ur Rehman Foundation.

The next year, she was given the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology and Salaam Pakistan Youth Award; presented to her by then Prime minister of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz and President of Pakistan Ret. Gen. Pervez Musharraf respectively.

In 2006, Arfa Kareem was invited by Microsoft to be a part of the keynote session in the Tech-Ed Developers conference which was held in Barcelona. Arfa was the only one who represented Pakistan in that conference among over 5000 developers.

In the same year Arfa Kareem was invited by IT Professionals of Dubai for two weeks where she was presented various awards and medals. Dinners and receptions were held in her honor which were graced with the presence of several delegates and IT Professionals of Dubai and Pakistan.

Arfa Kareem is also the youngest addressee of the President’s Award for Pride of Performance.

Arfa was made brand ambassador for Pakistan Telecommunication Company’s 3G Wireless Broadband service named EVO in January 2010.

The departure:

On 22 December 2011, she was admitted to Lahore’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in critical condition due to the brain damage caused by an epileptic seizure. Bill Gates, directed his doctors to adopt “every kind of measure” for her treatment.

The phenomenal, Arfa, left us for good at the age of 16, on 14^th January 2012. Her funeral prayers were attended by the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif along with a large number of military officers and civilians. Funeral prayers were offered on Sunday in Lahore. She was buried at her ancestral village Chak No. 4JB Ram Dewali,Faisalabad.

Not just as the youngest Certified Professional, The teen brilliance was an Angel we lost too soon…

I see not the white rose
She is so far away
But I long to protect her
But only the words can I say

So I send her my words
And my poets heart
To help her when
there is hope to see her through

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Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor on April 16, 1947, in New York City, and standing 7 feet, 2 inches tall, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was one of the best players in basketball history. Abdul-Jabbar joined the LA Lakers in 1975, playing with Magic Johnson.

 Biography

Basketball player. Born Ferninand Lewis Alcindor on April 16, 1947, in New York, New York. Standing an amazing 7 foot, 2 inches tall, Abdul-Jabbar was one of the best players in basketball history. He started at basketball starting at an early age. Playing for Power Memorial Academy, he was chosen as an All-American player three times during high school. His talents on the court led to a scholarship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Playing for UCLA from 1965 to 1969, Abdul-Jabbar became one of the country’s top college players. He helped his team to win three national championships from 1967 to 1969 and was named the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for those years.

In 1969, Abdul-Jabbar turned pro, joining the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Milwaukee Bucks. His career started out strong, scoring more than 2,000 points in his first season with the team. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1970. The next year he led his team to victory in the 1971 NBA championships. Also that year, he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means “noble, powerful servant,” as a part of his conversion to the Islamic faith.

Abdul-Jabbar moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975, and continued to dominate the game. He helped the team win six NBA championships and was named the league’s MVP six times. He was known for his signature jump shot known as the “skyhook.” While with the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlain‘s scoring record. He also was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 1985. His success on the court led to some acting opportunities. Abdul-Jabbar appeared in several films, including the 1979 martial arts film Game of Death and 1980 comedy Airplane!

When Abdul-Jabbar retired in 1989, he was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points and became the first NBA player to play for 20 seasons. During his impressive career, he played more than 1,500 games.

Since his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar hasn’t strayed too far from the game he loves, working for the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He even spent a year as a coach on the White Mountain Apache reservation in Arizona—an experience that he recorded in the 2000 book, A Season on the Reservation. He has written several other books, including 2007′s On the Shoulder of Giants about the Harlem Renaissance. Abdul-Jabbar has also worked as a public speaker and spokesperson for several products.

A father of five, Abdul-Jabbar has four children from his first marriage to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar and a son from another relationship.

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