The winners of the 2026 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Missouri State Championship Fall Qualifier have been announced by Certiport. Winning 1st Place in the Microsoft Office Specialist Word (Microsoft 365 Apps category) is Remus Williams from Chillicothe, MO. Remus competed against students from across Missouri to earn this coveted placement. Remus also achieved a perfect score, the first time in North Central Missouri College history.
Remus said, “I’d like to thank NCMC for the opportunity to enter this competition, and especially NCMC’s Ronda Copple and Grand River Technical School’s Kayla Leatherman for continuous encouragement in the business field.”
To compete in the Fall Qualifier, students aged 13 to 22 were eligible to participate in one of six competition tracks by submitting a qualified, passing score on the MOS Word, Excel®, or PowerPoint® certification exams by December 19, 2025.
“We have seen amazing results from the MOS program at our school as students learn and validate key workforce skills,” said Ronda Copple, NCMC Business Faculty. “The MOS U.S. National Championship further motivates them to get certified, and we are proud of Remus who has proven to be the best in our state. We know she will go on to make us proud at the MOS U.S. National Championship in June.”
Remus will represent Missouri and NCMC at the upcoming 2026 MOS U.S. National Championship in Nashville, Tennessee. During this event, she will compete in their exam track, network with other top students from around the United States and celebrate her certification success. One winner per track will be named the U.S. National Champion and earn a trip to represent the United States and compete in the 2026 MOS World Championship in Anaheim, California.
“We’re impressed by these students. They have proven they are the best in their state at using Microsoft Office products effectively. Plus, they now have an important distinction to place on their resume that shows a desire to learn and validate in-demand skills,” said Krista Ketchmark, Vice President Certiport and Global IT Business Development, Pearson. “The title ‘Microsoft Office Specialist Champion’ will serve them well in their academic and career pursuits.”
The Microsoft Office Specialist certification is the only official Microsoft-recognized certification for Microsoft Office globally and serves as a powerful instrument for assessing students’ skills and preparing them for real-world application of their knowledge.
View more information about the MOS U.S. National Championship.
Remus is a first-year student at North Central Missouri College, pursuing an Associate of Arts degree in Business. A Missouri A+ student, she is on track to graduate in May 2027. At NCMC, Remus is an active member of both the Nerds Guild and the Book Club. She spends her time studying, hanging out with friends, and working as an intern at Trenton Tax and Accounting.
North Central Missouri College is proud of Remus’s accomplishments and wishes her the very best as she prepares to compete in the 2026 MOS U.S. National Championship in Nashville, Tennessee. About Certiport Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, is the leading provider of certification exam development, delivery, and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 14,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program, the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification program, the Microsoft Certified Educator program, the Adobe® Certified Professional certification program, the Autodesk Certified User certification program, the Intuit certification program, the App Development with Swift certification program, the Unity Certified User certification program, the Critical Career Skills certification program, the IC3 Digital Literacy certification, and the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification program. Certiport reliably delivers millions of tests each year throughout the secondary, post-secondary, workforce, and corporate technology markets in 148 countries and 26 languages worldwide. For more information, visit certiport.com.
“Certiport” is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Photo: Remus Williams