College of Business & Technology

Testimonials

Margot Valladon

Margot Valladon

Bio

Margot Valladon is a French native who was part of the Atlantis program promotion 2014. Margot holds a Master’s in Business Administration from ECE in France, a Master’s in Information Systems from DePaul University in Illinois, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Linkoping University in Sweden. She lives with her fellow Atlantis husband, two dogs, and soon to be baby in the sunny city of Phoenix Arizona. She is now a Director under the Client Service team working for Slalom Consulting. She oversees project deliveries, team performance, and technology growth.

How the Atlantis Program impacted me academically, personally, and professionally:

“For me, the Atlantis program has been the biggest opportunity I was given so far and had a huge impact on my life at every level.”

“Academically it was a great opportunity to go through multiple school systems, learn in a foreign language, and study with other fellow international students. It was also a gift to be able, in four years of college, to end up with two masters and a bachelor. Most individuals will do years of studies to get to this academic level but with Atlantis my learning experience was accelerated. The diversity of learning with this program has been incredible and it allowed me to find my true passion which is IT.”

“Professionally, I believe most of the Atlantis students from my promotion had a job lined up even before we graduated. This program allowed us to have strong resumes and be very competitive in the job market especially with all the internal experience we had. I was able to find a job right away in the field of IT in the US and I think it was the steppingstone for me to get into the industry I wanted to work in. The experiences and learning I had with this program allowed me to grow quickly in a corporate environment and, just a few years later, become a Director for an IT consulting firm.”

“The biggest impact from the program has been personal. I never thought I would meet my husband during the Atlantis program. My husband was one of the American Atlantis students from DePaul University. We dated throughout the program and eight years later, we are a happy married couple expecting our first child next week. You never know what is going to happen to you, but it was not our plan. Just for that, I would do this program over and over again. I am still very close with my Atlantis team mates and the relationships I made are long lasting friendships I will never lose. We all work in different fields and we are all spread out across the globe. We are a strong team of friends who have been here for each other and that is a life experience I will be thankful for the rest of my life.”

Ian Kresnak

Ian Kresnak, CFA

Chief of Staff - Investment Strategy Group
The Vanguard Group
Philadelphia, PA

“The Atlantis program gave me a global perspective on business and economics while allowing me to connect and collaborate with a diverse group of peers. Those experiences prepared me well for success at a global company.”

Vincent Anter

Vincent M. Anter

Founder, Certified Sommelier
V is for Vino
Santa Monica, CA

“I currently host and produce the #1 rated wine show on Amazon Prime, V is for Vino. Atlantis changed my entire life: it gave the "travel bug". I've since spent every waking hour working towards seeing the world and experiencing people and places from all walks of life. From there, I launched my show, V is for Vino, in an effort to educate people on wine, travel, food, and other cultures. I hope I can help people understand the healing nature of travel and experience. In addition, I made lifelong friendships, and two of my groomsmen were people I met through the program.”

Konrad Bafia

Sales Engineer
MicroStrategy
Chicago, IL

“The Atlantis program opened more doors for me than any other class, club, or experience in my life, especially right after graduating college. It was a constant talking point in my interviews and it really added a unique touch to my resume having spent a year abroad, defending a thesis, and earning another degree from an international university.”

“The friendships I made during my time abroad are ones that will last a lifetime and the international living experience have made me a better, more cultured person. This has translated into making me a stronger teammate amongst my colleagues and it has prepared me to better handle different working environments”

Ari Northage-Orr

Ari Northage-Orr

Senior Software Engineer
Slalom Build
Chicago, IL

“The Atlantis program benefited me in a few different ways. For one it gave me an invaluable opportunity to experience two other cultures and the perspective that brings. It also allowed me to meet a lot of really cool, intelligent individuals some of whom I still keep in touch with to this day. Finally, it benefited my professional development by giving me a broader education in the form of a dual degree which has helped me stand out and has given me multiple perspectives from which to approach my career.”