2022 Best & Brightest Business Major: Bryce Tayengco, Fordham University (Gabelli)

Bryce Tayengco

Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business

“Jack-of-all-trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

Fun fact about yourself: I used to work as a bike courier when I started at Fordham!

Hometown: Point Pleasant, WV

High School: Point Pleasant High School

Major: Global Business

Minor: N/A

Favorite Business Course: Financial Applications and Institutions

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Cunniffe Presidential Scholarship
  • Ignite Honors Program
  • Fordham Investment Group

Where have you interned during your college career?

  • FT Partners, New York, NY – Investment Banking Summer Analyst
  • Marlin & Associates, New York, NY – Investment Banking Intern
  • Cantor Fitzgerald, New York, NY – Compliance Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? FT Partners, New York, NY – Investment Banking Analyst

Who is your favorite professor? Professor James McCann. My first class at Fordham was a general business course and I was lucky enough to have Professor McCann for the class. He has always taken the initiative to teach his students practical applications of our work in the classroom. Freshman year, I’d come to him with a plethora of questions and come out with the resources to find the answers. Now, I’m in my senior year and am still just as excited for our discussions. Professor McCann has always been an excellent mentor to me and so many other students, and I believe that he will continue to be for many years to come.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? The biggest lesson I gained studying business was that the path to success looks different for everyone. At first, I thought that I had to follow a tried-and-true path to success in the finance world. After reflecting on my time at Fordham, I realized that this wasn’t true – there are more ways to define success than anyone can count.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would advise them to focus their efforts on getting exposure to as many fields as possible. I found the easiest way to do this was to meet with those in other industries, whether it be at speaker events or by reaching out to them directly.

What has surprised you most about majoring in business? One aspect about studying business that surprised me was how valuable it is to have a wide breadth of knowledge at your disposal. Digging just a little bit into multitudes of different topics has prepared me for so many conversations that I would not have been able to hold if I had a narrow focus of study.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? If I could go back, I would talk to people working in different fields earlier on. I spent my first two years of college worrying about meeting people who were professionals in more or less the same field. I found that Fordham’s diverse curriculum has exposed me to so much more than my major, and I wish I would have started to apply this variation to my professional development efforts at an earlier time.

What business executive do you admire most? I admire Sam Bankman-Fried’s ambition as well as his altruism. Bankman-Fried’s push to assist with cryptocurrency adoption in the U.S. with his company FTX/FTX US combined with his charitable history inspires me to become a founder to do good.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I’m most proud of landing my first internship, but I couldn’t have done it without one of my first friends at Fordham, Xipu Li. Xipu and I spent hour-after-hour trying to find any company that would give us five minutes on the phone during our freshman year, but it was the Fordham alumni network who helped the most. Connecting with alumni allowed for me to find a handful of opportunities, and all it took was one to say yes to kickstart my career.

Which classmate do you most admire? Eric Geiger – my best friend and the most strategic person I know. Ever since I met Eric during freshman year, it seemed like he always had a plan for everything that came his way. Every time I’ve found myself at a crossroads, he has helped me create a path forward. He’s been with me through my ups-and-downs, and I couldn’t have asked for a better suitemate and friend while at Fordham.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? My parents! My mom and dad have always been my biggest supporters and I can’t thank them enough for any success I’ve come across so far. They’ve always been supportive of my interests and have stuck by my side despite any setbacks that I’ve come across.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

Be a part of starting a company

Be a part of helping someone else start their company

What are your hobbies? It’s always great to make it out to the driving range after a long day of classes, but it’s tough to get to a golf course being in Manhattan. My friends and I also do our best to take over a couple of the public tennis courts in the city, despite the long wait times when the weather is good.

What made Bryce such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“Bryce is motivated by his aspiration to excel in academics and build life-long relationships with his fellow students. He is a talented student who strives to grow his own knowledge while sharing his expertise with other students. Bryce is a special talent – he has a passion for finance and securing a comprehensive grasp of finance concepts and the variety of career options accessible. He has a great rapport with his fellow students and takes on a leadership role within the classroom that extends to leadership activities within the Global Finance program. Bryce has exceptional personal ethics and character. I am confident Bryce will exceed his own personal goals and will have a flourishing and fulfilling career after graduation.”

James McCann
Advanced Lecturer
Finance and Business Economics

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