In an era where digital skills increasingly define the future of the new generation, a 14-year-old student from Kavala managed to come out on top in Greece, representing our country in the Microsoft Global Competition.
Danae Tselebi, a 3rd grade student of the 2nd High School of Kavala, won the gold medal in the PowerPoint 365 category at the national final competition of the Microsoft Office Specialist Championship and is now preparing to represent our country in the global final competition, which will be held from 26 to 29 July 2026, in Anaheim, California.
The young student stood out among the 34 top PowerPoint users in the country at the Greek final of the Microsoft Office Specialist competition, organized annually by ACTA, a subsidiary of TÜV AUSTRIA Group, with the support of Microsoft and the Ministry of Education.
Danae participated for the second consecutive year in the national final, having already gained valuable experience from her participation last year. As it turned out, this experience worked as a catalyst in this year’s journey to the top. “My participation last year,” she points out, speaking to APE-MPA, “made me want to try even harder. I was waiting for the results with great anticipation and when I heard my name called I felt that all the efforts and hours of preparation were justified. The trip to America is a dream that I still find hard to believe.”
Her journey in digital skills began several years before this year’s award. Danae has been a student of ExpertIN since grade 5 and has been systematically trained in Microsoft Office applications and modern digital skills for the last five years. Her preparation was carried out through the “AIEN ARISTEYIN” scholarship programme, in which she participated as a scholarship holder, thanks to her excellent school performance. Her scholarship in PowerPoint lasted for two years, with Danae being another typical case of a public school student who excelled through a demanding training and preparation program.
The three golden girls of Greece
Computer science professor Panagiotis Aslanidis is the man who has been systematically coaching Danae all this time. Speaking to APPE-MPA, he describes a student who has developed steadily through the years. “Danae,” he points out, “is a child who has been with us from an early age and has built excellent foundations. In her second year, at the national final, she returned more mature, more ready and managed to reach the top of the Greek ranking. It is these moments that give real meaning to education.”
The success of the Greek team in this year’s Microsoft Office Specialist competition was not limited to the PowerPoint category. The 18-year-old Sophia Gousiosiou, a third grade student from Nea Makri, Attica, won the gold medal in the Excel category, while 16-year-old first grade student Natalia Gorozidou, from Pyrgos, Amaliada, won the gold medal in the Word category.
It is worth mentioning that Sophia Gousiosiou also participated in the “AIEN ARISTEYin” scholarship program and was trained by the team of Panagiotis Aslanidis, with the support of the Cavaliers teacher Alkmeni Gaitantzis. During the last two years, Sophia participated in distance learning and prepared systematically in order to participate in the national final.
Sophia Gousiou, Danae Tselebi and Natalia Gorozidou are the three young girls who will represent Greece in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Competition, making up a Greek delegation with a strong female footprint and high expectations for this year’s event.
Danae’s success becomes even more significant when one considers the high level of the Microsoft Office Specialist competition, which is considered the most important international digital skills institution for students aged 13 to 22. Each year, top Word, Excel and PowerPoint users from dozens of countries compete in the grand global final, representing their countries in an event that brings together the best young Microsoft Office application users in the world.
“The presence of young children and students from Greece in the world final every year,” Aslanidis emphasizes to APE-MPA, “is not just another distinction. It is an international recognition of skills that are directly linked to the future of education, technology and the modern labour market in our country. It highlights the abilities of young people in Greece and the high level of training they possess.”
Kavala’s tradition in digital skills
However, it should be noted that this year’s distinction of Danae Tselebi continues an impressive tradition of success for Kavala in the Microsoft Office Specialist competition. From 2018 to date, students from the city have won a total of five national championships in eight years, creating one of the most consistent and successful presences in the institution.
Children from Kavala, such as Efi Ziota, Christos Kioftetzis, Andreas Nalbandis (twice champion) and Alkmeni Gaitantzis, have represented Greece in world finals, making Kavala a benchmark for digital skills and training young students in Microsoft applications. The fact that Danae Tselebi is essentially taking over the PowerPoint “baton” from Eleni Karakasidou, last year’s Greek Microsoft PowerPoint World Champion, continues an important Greek tradition of excellence in the event.
In an era when digital skills are now considered an essential tool for the new generation, stories like that of the 14-year-old student from Kavala take on special significance. Not just because of the medal or international participation, but because they highlight what a young person can achieve when effort, proper guidance and educational opportunities are combined.
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