Val was born in Le Mans, France and at the age of nine moved with his family to Atlanta, GA. He attended the Atlanta International School where he received an International Baccalaureate bi-lingual diploma (Val is fluent in English, Spanish, and French), followed by a Mechanical Engineering BS degree at Georgia Tech Throughout his educational years, Val was surrounded by people encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and backgrounds, encouraging him to develop a cosmopolitan view of the world which he has carried with him ever since.