The Tragic Story of a Pakistani Girl Who Made a Mark on Bill Gates
The story of Arfa Karim, the child prodigy who made a mark on Microsoft.
Arfa Karim | Photo Credits: Daily Times
At the young age of nine, computer programming prodigy Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa became the world's youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). Her achievements and awe-inspiring contributions to the field of IT caught the attention of Bill Gates himself. Arfa tragically passed away in January 2012 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a serious epileptic seizure that had left her hospitalized for over a month.
Introduction to the world of IT
Arfa Karim (1995–2012) was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and hailed from an ethnic Punjabi Jat family who had moved to Bahawalpur shortly after her birth. Her father served in the Pakistan army, while her mother was a homemaker.
From very early on in her childhood, she showed signs of being a curious, passionate, and disciplined individual who was keen on broadening her horizons to the best of her capabilities. While she was in the third grade, she showed a particular interest in wanting to explore IT; as per school policies, however, she was not allowed into the computer laboratory. Her father played a major role in encouraging her to pursue her interest by buying her first desktop computer and having her enrolled in a nearby learning center for computer sciences.
Arfa proved to be a quick learner and excelled at the institute; her instructors deemed her ready to seek Microsoft certification and recommended [to her and her father] that she start preparing for it. In 2004, Arfa successfully passed the certification examination and became the youngest MCP in history at the age of 9.
Bill Gates takes Notice and the Birth of an Icon
Photo Credits: Express Tribune
News of the child prodigy spread beyond Pakistan and reached the ears of none other than Mr. Gates himself. He invited Arfa and her family to visit the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where he promised to meet them in person. She asked him deep and probing questions regarding why individuals as young as her could not work for his company, the reason behind the lack of a female workforce in big IT companies and for gender inequality in the sector; he was deeply impressed by her intellect, knowledge, unwavering confidence, and curiosity.
Upon her return to Pakistan, Arfa was hailed as an icon and approached by several media outlets for television and newspaper interviews. Sivaramakrishnan Somasegar, the vice president of Microsoft's Software Development Division even wrote about her in his blog. Later in 2005, the prime minister of Pakistan at the time (Shaukat Aziz) awarded Arfa with the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology.
In the same year, she was presented with the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award and the President's Award for Pride of Performance. She was the youngest person in history to have received both awards. In 2006, she was invited to speak at the Tech-Ed developers conference in Barcelona to speak about her achievements; at the conference, she was the only Pakistani citizen among 5000 developers from all over the world. In 2010, she also became the brand ambassador for PTCL's (Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited) 3G wireless broadband service (EVO).
Despite her rapid and unprecedented rise to fame, Arfa's father said that her primary concern remained to use her knowledge and expertise to help the youth of rural Pakistan who did not have access to IT. In an interview with BBC, Col. Amajd Karim (Arfa's father) stated,
"It is generally understood that computers are for very hi-fi people or rich schools, but nowadays one can be purchased for a few thousand rupees by the poorest of the poorest. Arfa's center of gravity was wanting to improve human resource development by focusing on education."
Death and Legacy
Photo Credits: Gulf News
On December 22, 2012, Arfa was hospitalized because of a severe epileptic seizure, which led to a cardiac arrest; she was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Lahore, Pakistan. Upon learning of Arfa's deteriorating health, Bill Gates contacted Arfa's parents and offered to take care of her treatment and healthcare expenses; he assigned a group of renowned international doctors to remain in contact with the local doctors who were in charge of her treatment.
Arfa's condition improved significantly, but she fell into a coma shortly after. Arfa Karim passed away on January 14, 2012, at the age of 16 after suffering from complications due to an epileptic stroke while still in a comatose state. Her body was moved to Faisalabad, where she was laid to rest in her ancestral village of Ramdewali; her funeral was attended by a large group of people, many of whom had never known her personally, but had been touched and inspired by her story.
Soon after her death, the IT Media City in Karachi was renamed in Arfa's honor. Additionally, Pakistan's largest IT Park in Lahore (originally known as Lahore Technology Park), was renamed "Arfa Software Technology Park" to commemorate her life and achievements. However, her legacy surpasses the mere naming of buildings and institutions after her; her story played a crucial role in inspiring the youth of Pakistan to attempt to follow in her footsteps, which she had previously stated had been one of her foremost goals. In one of the many interviews she had given during her short life, she stated,
"… This is exactly what I had been wishing for ever since I got to bring laurels for my country. I am very glad to see that people are following what I did and have succeeded in beating me… I would say that the other youngsters should follow suit, thereby convincing the people to take us kids seriously. Our generation is very talented and so should be promoted."
Arfa Karim Technology Park Lahore | Photo Credits: Pinterest
While Arfa and her accomplishments certainly paved the way for aspiring young Pakistanis, her influence went far beyond just that. She became a role model for hundreds of young girls who had started to refer to her as "Arfa aapi" (Arfa sister). Malala Yusufzai herself was one of those girls; she said,
"We really have lost a diamond… When I heard about her, I was really moved. I was amazed that we had someone like her in Pakistan — a genius! I was proud of her and that she's a Pakistani."