Trading Energy: Inside Mays’ Trading, Risk, & Investments Program

Alessia Catullo ’25 ’26 found an early interest in trading.

“When I was six, I used to sit on the couch and watch Jim Cramer’s Mad Money with my dad,” she says. “I was fascinated by the markets and eventually asked him if he would help me open and equity portfolio.”

That passion led her to pursue a finance degree at Mays and apply for the competitive Trading, Risk, and Investments Program (TRIP). TRIP not only challenged her but highlighted different career options in the energy industry, which accounts for 17% of GDP. “I didn’t truly learn about the commodity markets until I discovered TRIP, and once I did, I was immediately hooked,” Catullo says. “The physical nature of commodities, the complexity of the markets, and how energy directly impacts the world around us really stood out to me.”

TRIP’s commitment to providing an innovative educational experience piques both student and industry interest. Dr. Detlef Hallermann ’89 was recruited from a successful energy trading career in 2003 to join Mays as a clinical professor, and he developed TRIP’s concept with feedback from his extensive network. The TRIP program offers a master’s degree in finance management or a TRIP certificate, both of which provide leading-edge knowledge and skills as well as a strong professional network to help Aggies succeed in this fast-paced industry. 

Students complete courses in trade floor dynamics, energy project development, technical analysis of financial markets, and trading risk management. They also gain an insider view of the industry through three paid internships and required courses taught by industry representatives. 

Understanding the inherent challenges of working in the high-stakes energy industry, TRIP faculty also strive to incorporate the Aggie Core Values and lessons in ethics throughout the master’s and certificate programs. “While equity trading has a large number of traders, energy trading has a much smaller network of counterparties, so this industry is much more relational,” says Hallermann. “Energy traders have to back financial positions; as a result, they must understand the dynamics of the physical market and who is in a position to help them satisfy a need for a specific product. Successful energy traders build a strong network of counterparties who can fulfill that need, so there is less focus on the cut-throat atmosphere that is often used to describe the equity trading world. The energy trading industry emphasizes that your word is your commitment, and a verbal trade is a trade, even if you lose money.”