As part of a seminar organized by the Visual Communication Design Department at Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD), Turkish Cypriot engineer and technology executive Devrim Varoğlu met with students to share his inspiring story. Titled “From a Small Island to Silicon Valley: A Journey Through Curiosity and Change,” the event was held within the scope of ARUCAD’s vision to bring real-world success stories to campus to inspire its students.
Currently serving as a Wireless Program Manager in Apple’s Hardware Technologies division, Varoğlu shared his personal and professional journey from Çatalköy, Cyprus to Silicon Valley, offering a sincere and relatable account of the challenges he faced and milestones he achieved. He walked the audience through his educational background at Eastern Mediterranean University and California State University, followed by his early career at Qualcomm. Drawing on over 17 years of experience at Apple, Varoğlu emphasized two key lessons. The first: “Nothing is impossible.” He encouraged students to challenge their mental limits and to remove the word "impossible" from their thinking. The second: “Work for yourself.” He explained that taking full ownership of one’s work with a perfectionist approach is vital to excellence, stating: “If I’m going to do something, I should do it in the best way I possibly can.”
Varoğlu also shared how being open to interdisciplinary thinking and role transitions within Apple contributed greatly to his career development.
One of the most engaging parts of the seminar was his discussion on the integration of artificial intelligence into Apple products. Focusing especially on voice recognition technologies, Varoğlu explained how systems like Siri process sound, how the device listens to the first ten seconds of audio to detect activation cues, and how machine learning improves through large-scale data processing: “The more data you have, the smarter you become.”
This candid and motivational talk by a Cypriot professional who has made his mark in the global tech industry left a strong impression on ARUCAD students. The seminar was a memorable and inspiring experience that reminded attendees that with discipline, passion, and vision, even the most ambitious goals are within reach.
