Ralph Florian Ngonga has his say

Institute, Training, Student Life Digital Science & Engineering
Credit & copyright: BANIJAY PRODUCTION MEDIA

Every weeknight, he makes headlines on France 2 as the current champion of the game show “Tout le Monde a son mot à dire” (Everyone Has Their Say), hosted by Bruno Guillon and Sidonie Bonnec. The rest of the time, he is a diligent student in the “Cybersecurity and Information Systems Architecture” specialization program at ENSTA. How does he switch from one world to another? What are his secrets to success? Meet Ralph Florian Ngonga.

As a child, Ralph Florian Ngonga was insatiably curious, and every answer to his questions sparked a new question, gradually opening the doors to a world that he discovered was growing larger every day.

Luckily, his mother and aunt were big fans of general knowledge quiz shows, which gave Ralph the perfect opportunity to learn even more about a wide range of subjects with his family, while having fun at the same time.

Captivated by the mechanics of the game and impressed by the performances of the best contestants, he got into the habit of researching all the topics in depth and taking notes to help him memorize them, dreaming of one day becoming one of the champions he admired.

« I've always loved competition, and when it comes to general knowledge, certain TV game shows are the best official competitive settings you can imagine. »

At the same time, this curiosity, rigorous approach, and taste for competition also allowed him to excel in his academic career, to the point of being admitted to the integrated preparatory program at the École Nationale Supérieure Polytechnique de Yaoundé in Cameroon, where he is from. Two and a half years later, he took the entrance exam for the École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, also known as l'X, where he was admitted in 2022.

Ralph Florian Ngonga on the set of “Tout le monde a son mot à dire” surrounded by actors Marc Michaud and Nadia Roz. Credit and Copyright: BANIJAY PRODUCTION MEDIA

« My interest in quizzes and engineering studies are two areas that I find quite symbiotic. Through my passion for quizzes and my curiosity, I feel that I have a certain facility for grasping new concepts, which is essential for a general engineer who has to come up with original solutions to the problems presented to him. And in return, the rigor required for engineering studies also proves very useful when it comes to preparing for my participation in games. »

As the fourth year of the engineering program at École Polytechnique is a year of specialization at partner engineering schools, Ralph Florian Ngonga chose to join the Cybersecurity and Information Systems Architecture program at ENSTA, which was recommended to him by a classmate.

« In addition to the recognized quality of its Cybersecurity program, I chose ENSTA because it is a multidisciplinary school like École Polytechnique, demanding, with a very good reputation, as evidenced by its excellent ranking in the most important rankings. »

When asked to reveal the secrets of his success, Ralph is happy to share them:

« The secret is that there is no secret. You just have to be curious about everything. The key to general knowledge is to always ask questions; that's how knowledge grows naturally. And to be open to the wider world, not just to what our environment, our education, or our profession gives us the opportunity to know. »

Ralph Florian Ngonga on the Paris-Saclay campus of ENSTA, where he is pursuing a specialized course in cybersecurity

Armed with his unfailing curiosity, how far will Ralph go in ”Tout le monde a son mot à dire" (Everyone has their say)? Find out every evening from Monday to Saturday at 6:05 p.m. on France 2.

Our latest news

Alumni | Company | Training
BALCO Boats: A Breton shipyard that combines tradition and innovation

A recent graduate of a work-study engineering program in mechanical design with a specialization in naval architecture, Teys Cocset founded BALCO Boats with Antoine Ballot: a shipyard based in Brittany that combines tradition and innovation.

BALCO Boats: A Breton shipyard that combines tradition and innovation

A recent graduate of a work-study engineering program in mechanical design with a specialization in naval architecture, Teys Cocset founded BALCO Boats with Antoine Ballot: a shipyard based in Brittany that combines tradition and innovation.

Institute | Student Life
Schoolgirls today, engineers tomorrow

On Thursday, March 19, nearly 100 high school girls from three schools in Finistère were welcomed to the ENSTA Brest campus as part of the event “100 Women, 100 Careers: Engineers Tomorrow.” The afternoon’s program included a tour of the campus and...

Schoolgirls today, engineers tomorrow

On Thursday, March 19, nearly 100 high school girls from three schools in Finistère were welcomed to the ENSTA Brest campus as part of the event “100 Women, 100 Careers: Engineers Tomorrow.” The afternoon’s program included a tour of the campus and...

Alumni | Institute | Training
Graduation Ceremony in Brest: ENSTA Celebrates the Class of 2025, “Marie Marvingt”

March is graduation season for ENSTA’s community of young engineers, master’s students, and specialized master’s students across the school’s two campuses. Following the ENSTA Paris graduation ceremony, it was the turn of the 310 graduates from the ENSTA...

Graduation Ceremony in Brest: ENSTA Celebrates the Class of 2025, “Marie Marvingt”

March is graduation season for ENSTA’s community of young engineers, master’s students, and specialized master’s students across the school’s two campuses. Following the ENSTA Paris graduation ceremony, it was the turn of the 310 graduates from the ENSTA...

All news