Faculty of Management

Sampling exotic cuisine and scouring alleyways for extraordinary graffiti isn’t the typical routine for most financial day traders. But for Faculty of Management alumnus Brice Peressini (BMgt 2006), a finance major who has carved a unique niche for himself in the world of stocks and commodities trading, it’s all in a day’s work.

Peressini came to the U of L as a transfer student from Red Deer, looking to take advantage of our low cost of living, community feel and small class sizes.

“Coming from Red Deer, Lethbridge was going to be an easy transition,” says Peressini. “After arriving I realized just what a great fit the U of L was for me.”

While on campus, Peressini took advantage of multiple opportunities to enhance his educational experience, including involvement in the Management Students’ Society, Integrated Management Experience (IME) class and case competitions.

Likely the most influential program in terms of his eventual career and life choices, however, was an international exchange to Ajou University in South Korea.

“The exchange was easily the best thing I did at the U of L,” says Peressini. “It gave me a traveler's spirit. I now travel the world, trading stocks from my laptop, taking photos of graffiti that I'm now marketing to galleries, and writing a blog that generates a small income.”

Peressini has based business operations and derived inspiration from such far-flung locales as Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. He has managed to incorporate salsa dancing, Spanish lessons and cycling the “Zona Cafetera” (Colombian coffee region) into his trading activities. Not to mention gamely testing local delicacies like roasted ants.

His nomadic lifestyle does present occasional challenges to conducting business, however, particularly when he’s been forced to rely on a fickle internet connection. Peressini recounts a nail-biter in Argentina when he lost a connection in the midst of an important transaction.

“I threw on some clothes, hucked my laptop in its bag, and ran out the door. I knew I had to get to a connection in order to close out my positions before the market closed. I arrived seven minutes later at a café about three blocks from my place. I knew they had functioning internet, and so I opened my computer, ordered a coffee, and closed my positions. In that order.”

Peressini credits his Faculty of Management background as the source of his cool self-assurance in handling tense business situations.

“What has served me so well has been the confidence to pursue large projects, and to present myself in a confident manner, no matter with whom I'm speaking,” he says. “I entered the IME program, which I feel stands up to any MBA program.”

Professors were a significant factor in Peressini’s success, particularly Theory Into Practice Programs Director, Dan Kazakoff.

“This man is a true crown jewel in the U of L faculty,” says Peressini. “He taught me to think outside the box, and look for opportunities everywhere. This has helped me become the risk taker that I am. Spending a year in the IME program with Dan was a truly formative experience.”  

Kazakoff in return speaks highly of Brice Peressini and his success as a student in the Faculty of Management.

“It was easy to see how determined and dedicated Brice was,” Kazakoff says. “He knew what he wanted to achieve, realized he would have to work hard for it, and was up to the challenge.  He was a great team player and was always willing to share his thoughts and help out his colleagues. He is a great role model for our present students.”

The availability of programs and enrichment opportunities is, in Peressini’s view, one of the most important selling points for the University of Lethbridge.

“Talking with people from larger institutions made me realize how hard it was to get into these at their respective universities, and how easy it was at the U of L,” he says. “There is nowhere else in the world where I could've received the same quality of undergrad education. The U of L truly helped shape the person I've become – in a larger institution I'm sure I would've gotten lost in the shuffle.”

Peressini offers this advice to other students pursuing a Management degree:

“Take every extra-curricular opportunity you can. The programs on offer at the U of L are incredible, and extremely accessible. If you take education as a life-long endeavour, it will enrich you in ways you never could've imagined.”

To learn more about Brice and his trading and travel activities, follow these links to his blogs and the projects he’s currently working on:

http://thedaytradingacademy.com

http://tradingvoyageur.com

http://streetartphotography.ca