It Takes Energy to Trade Enery

By Todd Fuqua

Marissa Muge Tian (BBA 06), finds her work falls outside of normal business hours as a trader for JPMorgan in Houston, Texas.

Marissa’s expertise is in the field of commodity trading – specifically Natural Gas Liquids, or “NGL.” As a part of the energy sector, the work she does is extremely important to a number of markets, from petro-chemicals to mass media to electronics and so much more.

“It can be a demanding job,” Marissa said of her sometimes roundthe-clock schedule.

Also, it may be an international concern, when one considers the voracious energy appetite of the U.S and the growing markets in developing countries.

“The market never sleeps, something always happens,” Marissa said. “If there’s nothing dramatic, I can find out in the morning, but if it’s something like a tanker grounding, pirates or war, that can impact our market and I need to act on it quickly. It doesn’t matter what time it is here.

“This can be a very stressful job,” she added. “The job is fast-paced and my hours are pretty long.”

Not everyone can handle the high stress and fast pace environment of commodity trading, but Marissa credits her education at ENMU for her success.

“I’ve learned a lot on the job, of course, but those professors gave me the tools I needed to deal with what I would face,” she said. “Good learning and good accomplishment don’t come easily.”

Marissa was at Eastern as part of a student exchange program, which helped her adjust not just to the University, but to the culture and experience of living in this country.

“I didn’t know much about the United States at the time, so I learned how to interact with others,” Marissa said. “I’m also very grateful to my sorority, Chi Omega. They helped me embrace the culture.”