The last five weeks have been crazy for me! The first week of June I was at TechEd, where I appeared on Channel 9 Visual Studio Toolbox, and where I found out that the Microsoft Patterns and Practices team recognized me as a P&P Champion. The next week was spent traveling through New Orleans and various cities in Mississippi. Then I actually got to go home for a week before heading off to San Francisco to attend the always fun Build conference for another week. Last week, I took a much needed vacation and had family come visit. Let’s just say, that I feel like I need a vacation from that vacation. Not much time for relaxing, just fun, fun, fun. It was this same week when I found out that I was awarded the coveted Microsoft MVP award. If you’re not familiar with the MVP award, you should check it out.
This is my first award. Yes, that’s right! My very first award. For many of you, that may be somewhat of a shock. For years, a large portion of the community always assumed I was an MVP. I always joked that that was a major reason I didn’t receive the award. Microsoft just thought I already had it. Not that I was expecting it. Honestly, I never really thought much about it. Like most of the MVPs out there, I do what I do because I love it. It’s my hobby. I work for a great company (Infragistics), and I have a fantastic group of co-workers. Some of which are MVPs themselves. I am passionate about my technology and my community. I love traveling the world teaching what I know and learning what I don’t. Since January, I have already matched what I did in 2012. Considering that it’s only July, that’s quite a busy schedule.
I am extremely grateful for this recognition. It is very humbling to realize that I am one of the less than 5,000 people in the world with such a recognition. It’s always nice when an organization shows their appreciation for your hard work and dedication to a craft. MVP, or no MVP, it’s important to realize that I couldn’t do what I do without my extremely supportive wife and two beautiful children. Not only do I give my time and energy, but my family must also give theirs.
If you have a question or would like me to present at your community event, please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter (@brianlagunas), or leave a comment below.
