Shadrack Kiprotich on The MVP Show

[mark_smith]: 1:12
Today's guest is from Niobe Country in Kenya. He's a chief operating officer at Plant Signal. He was first awarded in V P and twenty twenty two. He received the best award during the Major League hack for open Source category. He's a gold award in the present award scheme in Kenya. You can find links to his bio social, et cetera in the show. Notes for this episode welcome to the show. Shadrack.

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 1:38
Yeah, thank you so much, Mark for hosting me and it's my privilege to be here and this is my first podcast. Thank you so much.

[mark_smith]: 1:48
Excellent, I'm looking forward to getting to know you and what you do in the community before we start. Can you tell me about you know what the region you're located in Kenya? what's it knowing for? Tell me a bit about family food. The and the fun things that you like to do and you're not doing not doing your job.

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 2:11
Okay, thank you so much. so My name is Shadrakprotich from Nairobi County,Kenya. Kenya is located in Africa, in the East Africa like there is the part of East Africa and Kans Medill, known for its namachama scenes. We have a rich culture of people like who have Kate here. So like we have the rich Matama, and then also like myself, born in a family of seven. I've got for buildings, and what My parents and, and currently I'm based in members. There is where I currently work, and then also like Whenever I'm not doing my job, I normal love hiking by riding, and also skating, and then I'm a big fund of country music, so like whenever I'm not at work, or like just in the evening hours, I normally attend the country shows where I get to listen to life music from various country music artist, and

[mark_smith]: 3:10
Nice,

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 3:11
One by the name S. l. v. S. I normally attend is shows frequently. Yeah,

[mark_smith_cloverbase_com]: 3:18
That is so cool. Episode. Call, Tell me what's the best food to eat there.

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 3:24
The best food is a coma. There is kind of a chum is kind of a roasted meat. So whenever you are in Arobicana, so just look for a good spot so that you can have a coma,

[mark_smith]: 3:38
Nice. How is it just roasted straight over coals, or or is there any seasoning added to it?

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 3:47
Just roasting just without any seasoning.

[mark_smith]: 3:52
sounds delicious. Sounds delicious. Tell me about how did you know I can? How, how did you get into technology? How did you know how young were you? What was the path you took to ultimately get into the technology? area you're in now?

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 4:10
Okay, so currently like, let me just take you back a little bit where it all got started. So I was born in a family where there old medics. My parents are all medics, and also like my sister. So I grew up within a hospital environment when I was growing up, So this is just something I used to admire their careers. I could see like them, saving lives and like their shifts, and also like, I used to go to the hospital sometimes to go see, see how they operate within their walking station, And so I grew up knowing like my career also will be aligned to as the medicine world, and also like just being a melie. So like later on, my dad got his first laptop and also like a dextop, which kind of deivited all my attention from the medicine world now into like living out technology and the computers caused. the major aim for him buying a computer was that he wanted to learn about like how to do presentation scenes. He had Going to become like one of the taters in the medical school. So like, so like he needed a love. So I also like, used to interact with that love that specific whenever he was not using it. So it kind of grew my, like my attention now into computer. So that's why, like that's where now my interest grew so like first forward to when I was in high school. So I did computers studies inform one in form, to which I later dropped In from three now when we were selecting subjects, and then fast for also when I came to compass, I started like lining computer like cording classes, so I actually like missed computer state computer, Sane course by a few points, which made me choose an option for batchel of commas, So a butchel of commerce graduate and so like It's something that computers Sans like. It's not like something that I've done is part of my course work within like my compass. So that's how I got started into technology. So when I just got into compass, So like I used to attend cording classes where where I met with my first mental. and like I can just say, the like is like the father of like my journey in to take now, cause like Used to attend. Like most of these, like the classes where we get like we got to learn about like cording. Since myself, I've never sat in Computer sons class, and like just like lean so myself, tots of to develop so like in the like, During the day I used to attend my battel of Commerce classes, and later on in the evening I used to attend these programming classes within my compass, So that's how I got started into Teck And my first programming language was Net and See shop. So I used to learn that that that specific, like technologies during like my first day in Compass. Yeah,

[mark_smith]: 7:24
Interesting how how you know how did that transition for you into Microsopht? Is microsoph? the main subject taught from a technology perspective on campus. or is it or is it something else?

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 7:41
Not really. So when I was in Compass, so like I learned about this program called Microsoplant Student Umbasadas, So it's a global program where it emposed students who are passionate or bote technology and also like willing to share the knowledge with others and also like just empower technology. So I learned about this program by like my mentor, who is called Josademanga, So and now he's cloud Vocat, microsof, So he was just part of my mental. I used to guide me about Take sins like myself, A form a technical background, So used to guide me like whenever I got start, like to this and these, so like, He was just kind of like entering me, so I learned about the program while he was actually like a microsopclan tuientambassa. A, So I applied for the program for the first time. I never got in. Like don't know why So, but I just had that interest. Also, I re applied for the program and I got in in Were twenty twenty. So like that was the time I got into the microsophland turnt ambassadors program, So while as a student ambassador, I used to attend technical events, get to also laxations, and also like just ment to other scenes. It was now like two years since I got into into the technology wold, and I grown to see like I was actually appending in the wall, So it was now my time now to give back to the community through that program And the program had lots of benefit sins. I never access any course walk for the computer, but with the resources that I got from the microsopclant student ambassador, S, like were really helpful to my journey. and it's also like, like within these microsopclant tudent ambassadors is when I learned about the Vip program and now like that's what I am. Currently now so grateful for that like journey that I went through.

[mark_smith]: 9:38
Well, so when you from an n v P perspective, what area of technology do you focus on? Is it dynamic three six, Five? Is it the power platform of its dynamic Three Six Five, What specific area do you focus on in your career?

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 9:56
Um, it's business application. So if I can just take you back a little bit like how I got to learn about the business application. So I mentioned Aaron that a butchel of commerce student graduate. Sorry, So like, basically I graduated with finance option in the bache of commas, So whenever now I used to attend these classes for cording, I used to get lots of questions from my class mates since we were studying the same course Bat at, I'm doing good in the computer Sands, Like like stuff, so like they used to ask me like shut. I see like you go to like number like you go to events you performing well. Also like, how can I get also into Take without writing? Cord goes like they used to kind of feed cording or something so like. So I learned about the microsoph platform, so it's a low code. no cord where like people can to build up analyze data outomate processes jus within a very short period of time, So this was a chance now for me now to like an bout business application, and also like, let my classmates also like know about this platform where they can be able to get into check without like having to cord. Like now, a programming language, Because these are local to lot. no cold. So that's how I got to know about the business applications the microsoft platform, So I used to hold events like within my compass, just to teach them like this, Cept, and like when I saw like the huge potentials that I had within my classmates, and then something just, I just thought to myself, like if this is just within my compass, How many other people outside my compass that I have that feeling to get into check, but not having to write any piece of cord. so I developed an empathy for them, so I decided to form the popular From us, a group community in Kenya, where it empowers local enthusiast, Where they can be built to get to line out O, like, like, like, Just generally line about the microsoppop platform. So like that's how I got started. So since twenty twenty, I've been olding events like within, like my compass, and also outside, so like if I can just count the total umber of events, the like that are engaged within the microsoppoplatom. It's more than twenty because it's something. it's technology that has not been fully impressed in my country, So it's like I took as an initiative to kind of empower everyone and that actually like, let me being nominated to become an M v P under the business application category, So my main forecast is normally the Poplar form and dynamic there Sixty five. So for polite from the five components and dynamics there Sixty five. Also like trying to explore. Like some other components, We have the business central. We have the pan, So like those are the main technology There, Medrlyforcast on yeh.

[mark_smith]: 13:00
Very good. And so what what do you do in your day job? Is your day job involved using the Power

[mark_smith_cloverbase_com]: 13:07
platform or Dynamic Three, six, five,

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 13:10
Yeah, it actually involved. So currently a technical lead an innovation have in Mombasa, So part of the operations that we nomerlly undertake within the company involves the Microsoppo platform and especially the Automat scenes. We are dealing with a large date like data base, and we always need to send out email. So like we need to send out personalized mails. Mails with attach Mans, get like, Just generally like working with lots of day And so so like this, they need to automat all those processes. so in my day today, Joe, by normally use pop out O met heavily.

[mark_smith]: 13:50
Is that right? So if you looked at the five tools, the five main tools in the Power platform is

[mark_smith_cloverbase_com]: 13:57
power, Automate, the one that you're strongest on and do most of what you do or is it one of the other Apps

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 14:04
It's just one of the other, as I know, I also like use the other Alps, and also like the Po, also for analysis of data, So like for my job, I like, I normally use P B and P termite, but outside to walk, I normally use the five components and also like incorporation a little bit of dynamics,

[mark_smith]: 14:25
Tell us a bit about the growth of the user group in Kenya.

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 14:31
So the growth actually like we actually like, launched the growth in twenty twenty when we were like the first half of twenty twenty, Then Ovid truck, So like, we had to shift all our engagements to online so it became a challents, Like trying to rand the station scene. This was something the new, and like, we never expected to have such a thing, So it was a bit kind of challenging when we were chatting, since all our engagements were online. So and I started a little bit like having physical classes, now just twittering like some of my classmates, So like we had to shift all the engagements. Not only, so I started within my compass, so like we were just rough, like less than twenty people, and and currently like we are at two hundred members. So like Tante redistant members within our platform. So we normally have a platform where we normally like Manage Up. There is the power uses to Microscope dot Com where we manage our user group, And currently we are two hundred and three members and the community is still growing and I'm just happy like people are. now. Like getting to know about Like what actually this is like when the mcrosoppoplatform and also like it's It's an initiative that it's actually like going to go by, since we are also empowering. the quodfast develops so like the microsoplatform is not only For those who are like, just want to write like, don't want to write cord, but also, if you also like write cord, also like we have something for you within the mcrosopoplatform. It can be able to improve your productivity,and also like you can be able to extend the functional, like extend the functionalities that we normally have within the micropoplatform, So I'm just happy, Like for the growth that we are having, and for the first time we're holding a hybrid And we are expecting close to seven undred engagement. So like tuned joining physically and five hundred like. Hopefully they can be able to join online. So it's something that I took it as as an initiative to growth the community.

[mark_smith]: 16:46
This is so good. So good. To hear. what? What recommendation do you have for other people that want to become MVPs.

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 16:57
So what normally tell? Like anyone who just want to become an Ananmvbis that just love what you're doing and make the world know about it. So like, for instance, like myself, I just decided to get good at business applications and like so that I can be about to employ other people and also like who, like, I just grow in the empathy of other people like I would like to gente. So it's something that I took it as an initiative to be good at what I was, And also I make the world know about it. So that's one thing like you must know about, and also like, Since technology is something that is actually growing, so I just want to encourage you. like to start off and then like the. The things will come now. and like, Maybe when was the last time you did something for the first time? Like when was the last time you decided to challenge yourself? Like, let me try out something new.

[mark_smith]: 17:52
I like it really good. Tell me. tell me your thoughts, and what are you doing in the area of artificial intelligence

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 18:04
I'm just a fond of build in microsot for platform, So if I can just count the number of engagements I've done with a builder, so it's like it's more than ten. So just purlizations on a builder in microsote for platform, So it's like I just love the lie, just adding intelligence into business like applications, and just I just love to see how artificial intelligence is transforming most of them, And with just a click of a button, and then you have everything like within your fingertips, and like you've been about to manage like lots of hours, so like you can be about to save like forty hours within your organization within a single time. So I just love a.

[mark_smith]: 18:53

That that is very cool. Good example. Are there any there any little side projects or passion projects that you work on That are kind of you know. you haven't talked about much yet or the kind of like. Are you building any asps? Are you you know anything else you're working on?

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 19:14
Yeah, So I'm also a community builder, So like within my also specification, like, and and also like my current role, So I'm trying to build a community of people like who can be able to like. Also like. It's kind of a way of giving back to the community. Canes myself. I'm a product of the community, so I'm trying to build the community and then also like other side projects that are working on a part from building the community. So I participated in the power Callin last year and I was among the to upbuild us in Africa. so I came up with a project where I'm trying to help resident doctors, and also like the full time doctors to be able to communicate under one place, So it's actually a project that is, and I'm going so hopefully like I can be able to publish it on apsodes, where other people can be able to access it. So basically Doctor Par, like that is the name of the application where Um, like resident doctors, and also like doctors, can be able to communicate under one platform, and also like manage the patient records, and since red like, and since resident doctors are just people who ave got out of compass, like out of their studies and there practicing medicine, so it's actually a chance for them to ask lots of questions, and just to get to know like before now they get into their whole team. So since bearing in mind like my history, kind of alliance with malice, So it's just something that I love, Also like seeing people like saving lives. And then also it's just something that I just love seeing like in the medicine world, and also hopefully like I get to integrate the like within the application. So and people now to improve like her.

[mark_smith]: 21:05
Excellent final question. What are you excited most? About twenty twenty three,

[shadrack_kiprotich]: 21:15
I'm just excited about like these old program of MVP. So I'm just looking forward to empowering more people. and especially now, like with these events that I'm organizing, so I just look forward to the impact that I be able to make, and I number measure my success by the impact that I make. so, even if it's one person that is the major impact that I want. So for this twenty three, I'm so excited about the power platform. Use Like us, a group community in Cana, and I look forward now to the end goes that we have as a community. So that's my main agenda for this year, building the community and also empowering them.