Fayol Ateufack ’26, a Cameroon native who journeyed 7,000 miles to earn his degree at Valparaiso University, will move to New York City this summer to take a software engineering position with Bloomberg L.P., a giant in the financial, software, data, and media industries. A double-major in computer engineering and physics, Ateufack’s university experience and career success show just how much Valpo’s values, education and professional opportunities can mean to someone breaking into a tough industry.
“Fayol is an extremely talented and hard-working individual,” said Sami Khorbotly, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering. “When you couple that with the high-quality education and training he received at Valpo, the outcome is an outstanding engineer and scientist who can pursue any path he chooses. I am confident that he will have a very bright future, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things he will accomplish.”
Looking for higher education in the United States, Ateufack had an interest in the possibilities of A.I. and a passion for physics. As a student, he found opportunities to pursue those passions, publishing three papers along with Professor Khorbotly, two of which focused on A.I. What ultimately brought him to Valpo, however, wasn’t the programs or opportunities, but the personal treatment he received as an applicant.
“When I was admitted, I applied to Christ College — the Honors College,” Ateufack said. “The admission letter from Dean Prough was actually personalized to me. She mentioned things that I mentioned in my application. That told me I wasn’t going to just be a number at Valpo. It said they were going to take care of me.”
Over the course of his college career, Ateufack found the kinds of professional opportunities that have given his career a running start. Attending the Valpo Career Fair as a freshman, he was able to land a summer internship with Chicago energy company ComEd. The next year, while attending a professional conference with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), he made connections leading to an internship at Micron Technology. Finally, the summer before his senior year, he took part in an internship working for the worldwide investment management firm Blackrock.
Now, after a five-interview process that examined his skills, experience, interest, and potential to further the company’s mission, Ateufack will move to New York City to take on new and bigger challenges.
Lofty career goals and demanding majors couldn’t stop Ateufack from being involved on campus in other ways. Over the course of his time at Valpo, he served as president of NSBE, active in the Office of International Programs, worked the IT helpdesk, tutored others in physics, and more. Ateufack believes those experiences were an integral part of how Valpo changed his life.
“I used to think it was all about the work,” he said. “ I understand how there is much more to life than what you do professionally. Spirituality, social life, political life, those made me grow a lot at Valpo.”
One of the most important ways Ateufack’s experience has helped him develop as a servant-leader is in thinking about how he can help others, not just professionally, but in everything he does.
For future generations of students with similar ambitions, Ateufack emphasizes the value of the Valparaiso University community and how, together, everyone can achieve their goals.
“There are people here to support you,” he said. “The system is designed to help you, no one is against you. Don’t try to do everything on your own. You are a human being, an individual among a community. Make sure to use the resources at Valparaiso University to help you go far in life.”
