Award for Student Achievement
Samuel Acheampong ’20, M.S.’21
Mercy College senior Samuel Acheampong will be graduating in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and is expected to graduate with a Master’s in Cybersecurity in May 2021.
An immigrant from Ghana, Africa, Acheampong has spent the total of his past three years and nine months in America leveraging the vast academic and career development opportunities presented to Mercy College students. He discovered Mercy College while conducting an online search for institutions where he could pursue his dream of being a cybersecurity professional. After learning more about the College’s 5-year master’s program in cybersecurity from faculty and staff, Acheampong made the fortunate decision to attend Mercy. Also, among the colleges that accepted Acheampong, Mercy offered the most monetary support, which strongly influenced his journey to the Dobbs Ferry Campus. He is proud to have received the Mercy Provost Scholarship and the Mercy Assistant grant, which have allowed him to continue his education unburdened.
Beyond excelling in his coursework, which consists of network security and penetration testing, system design and analysis, computer network architecture and much more, Acheampong has managed several high-profile volunteer, internship and employment commitments.
His most recent internship with Consolidated Edison (ConEd) has led to a full-time job offer, a coveted opportunity only given to the top-performing undergraduate interns that requires a rigorous interview process. In this position, Acheampong will be performing essential security tests and risk assessments to ensure the secure design, development and implementation of ConEd applications and network practices. He looks forward to continuing to light up New York after graduation.
While at Mercy College, Acheampong earned a silver ranking in the National Cyber League (NCL) competition, a biannual cybersecurity competition among students spanning the country. NCL offers engaging, entertaining, measurable and scalable methods of learning to enlist a new generation of cybersecurity professionals. He also presented in the 2017 undergraduate research conference at Manhattan College, was a member of the College Science and Technology Entry Program and volunteers with Mercy’s Center for STEM Education.
As a volunteer with a youth organization in the Bronx, he organizes group activities and supported food drives. Acheampong also worked as an IT support specialist with Disciples of Christ in Bronx, New York, a loss prevention associate with Bloomingdale’s in White Plains and spent two summers as an employee for the Bronx Zoo, managing the Bronx Zoo Treetop Adventure zipline. He is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Science Foundation.
Acheampong credits his success to Julia Wexler, director of employer relations for Mercy’s career center, who has gone the extra mile to help him succeed. In addition to the dedicated career services staff, he most appreciates the College’s rich diversity and how Mercy gives you a chance to prove yourself. For good reason, Acheampong’s family is beyond proud of the incredible achievements he has amassed in such a short period of time while in the United States.