Last Wednesday, February 25, over 40 local DMV residents walked into the Microsoft Innovation Hub as passive learners. They walked out as fully activated AI builders.

We’ve all heard enough talk about what AI might do. At The Upskilling Labs, we’re interested in helping people stay right on the edge of what they can actually do with it today. This session wasn't a lecture; it was a lab and it proved non-technical professionals can architect their own AI tools when given the right on-ramp.

About The Workshop

The workshop was led by Eric Brown Jr. (EB), Senior AI Solutions Engineer & Innovation Coach at Microsoft and Upskilling Labs mentor, whose passion for building AI-literate communities shone throughout the session. His teaching approach broke down enterprise AI tools in ways that empowered even complete beginners to build confidently.

What we covered:

Foundations of prompt engineering
What AI agents are (and aren’t)
Hands-on agent building in Microsoft Copilot Studio
Frameworks for applying agents to real-world workflows

What Participants Left With:

A working understanding of agentic AI
Practical frameworks for implementation
Confidence to build agents for both enterprise and personal use

The Result: Real Agency, No Code

By the end of the afternoon, these 40 participants—ranging from local business owners to former government project managers to clinical researchers—were no longer just "using" AI. They were using Microsoft Copilot Studio to build functioning AI agents designed to handle their own real-world tasks.

As one attendee put it: "I actually know how to build an agent as a non-coder now. It was surprising to see how easy it was to navigate and create from scratch."

A Case Study in Mission-Driven Volunteer Leadership in the DMV

This level of impact doesn't happen through corporate autopilot. It requires a specific kind of creative leadership that we are cultivating within The Labs’ community.

Afnan Adam, inaugural cohort alum and an active tech mentor with The Labs, spearheaded this entire initiative to partner with Microsoft. She didn't just coordinate a day on the calendar—Afnan orchestrated a complex, multi-stakeholder partnership with Microsoft, delivered a world-class training environment, and made it available to the entire local upskilling community.

The Partnership: Afnan worked directly with Microsoft’s Eric Brown Jr. to bridge the gap between enterprise-grade tech and our local community—prioritizing non-technical, non-coding working professionals.
The Team: She recruited and led a team of four volunteer technical leads—Eziel Ze Emir, Rudy Rocourt, Colton Proctor, and Nicholas Wagner—who provided the 1-on-1 support that made this "Lab" different from your standard classroom.
The Venue: She moved this work into the Microsoft Innovation Hub in Rosslyn, turning a corporate landmark into a neighborhood resource.

Why This Matters

When leaders like Afnan step into these roles, the entire region wins. We are building a repeatable model where local talent leads the way, technical pros mentor their neighbors, and scores of people at a time gain the skills to stay relevant in a shifting economy. This is how the DMV leads the AI transition: from the ground up.

How This Stands Out

The accessibility––many attendees had never built anything in an AI studio before, but they left realizing they could.

As major employers accelerate AI adoption—literacy and applied skill are the real differentiators. This workshop is a testament to the fact that the barrier to entry is lower than many think, and with the right structure and support, anything is possible.

You’re Invited to Join What’s Next!

We are building a public, repeatable way for regular people to master the tools that matter for their career success with high standards, clear on-ramps, and no gatekeeping.

Want to be in the room for the next session or step into a leadership role for our next lab?

Join The Labs

Microsoft Hosts 40 Upskillers to Build AI Agents