A few years ago Chrystel Bakong didn’t know how to speak English. Now he is a junior in electrical engineering at N.C. State.

As a young boy growing up in Cameroon, Africa, Bakong thrived in a culture where soccer is the national sport. But after Bakong graduated from high school, he was faced with tough a decision: continue school or play soccer. There was not an option to do both.

But his mother decided that he wouldn’t have to choose. So his father asked his uncle, an American citizen, if Bakong and his brother could come live with him in Maryland.

Bakong, whose first language is French, came to the United State knowing little about the culture of the native tongue.

“I knew to say ‘Hi, how are you,’ but that was about it,” he said. “It was really difficult. It was hard because people had difficulty understanding me.”

Once in Maryland, Bakong joined a U-19 club team. By chance, the soccer coach at Louisburg College came to one of his matches.

“He offered me a scholarship, and I didn’t think twice,” Bakong said.

Though his English continued to improve, Bakong was homesick — especially during the holiday season.

In Cameroon, Bakong enjoyed going to church and partying with friends at Christmas time. Now he simply sat at home alone.

“The hardest time I had here was during Christmas,” he said. “In the U.S., I noticed that Christmas is about presents. I missed my parents and I just stayed home the whole time.”

During his senior year at Louisburg College, Bakong decided he wanted to be an engineer. That’s where the Wolfpack came into the picture.

“My dream was to play Division 1 soccer,” Bakong said.

Bakong asked Tarantini to come watch him play, and the coach liked what he saw.

And though he struggled at times, Bakong graduated from Louisburg in two years with a respectable GPA.

“We are always looking for somebody who has presence, intelligence and, more than anything else, someone who has a tremendous desire to succeed,” Tarantini said. “He is an example for a lot of people. The future, for him is really bright.”

In his first season with State, Bakong, a midfielder, has started every game.

In just three years, Bakong has graduated from college, become fluent in English and earned a starting spot in a Division I soccer program.

“It’s amazing,” Tarantini said. “This is the greatest place in the world. The opportunities are tremendous and people with desires and goals will become successful.”