It is no secret that Camas High School is home to an array of immensely talented people; Sophomore Austin Fogel is no exception to this. Last year, Fogel competed in a series of Microsoft processing competitions, eventually taking him all the way to Florida, where he placed sixth at the national level for Excel.

In an ever-evolving technological world, it makes sense that such a competition would exist; allowing those who are more inclined to such skills to compete and develop on a larger platform. Fogel claims that before these competitions, he wasn’t super interested in such processes and programs, but since his last whirlwind of a year, this sentiment has changed considerably.

For Fogel, this all started when he took on the required freshman courses, which teaches career skills like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. At the end of these courses, there are tests, and unbeknownst to many, the scores that are earned on these tests matriculate, and eventually one student out of the entire state with the highest score, is picked to advance to a more national level. Fogel was this student, earning a score of 950/1000 and a ticket to Florida to compete.

When Fogel arrived in Florida and began talking to these other technological prodigies, Fogel learned that many of the competitors at this level were apart of clubs and teams, even recounting that one state had all of their competitors in matching uniforms, and had practiced and taking a class for longer than the semester that Fogel had been allotted to perfect these skills. Because of this, Fogel said he learned much, not only in a technological sense but also in regards to character development. When asked what one of the biggest takeaways from this competition was, Fogel replies “I learned to become self-motivated, to drive myself in my pursuits, and to never give up on myself.”

When Fogel isn’t busy with homework or competing with Microsoft programs at a national level, Fogel enjoys swimming, both for his club and the Camas Team. Fogel reveals that last year, as a freshman, he went to the state swimming competition. When asked if he has thought about college or any future plans, Fogel claims that “It is a bit early still, so I haven’t really given it much thought, but maybe the University of Washington or Utah State.”

Wherever he ends up, it is clear that Fogel’s future is very bright, and from the entire staff of the Camasonian, we wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors.