Posted on August 13, 2014 by Lety Laurel
Trent Berryman
Trent Berryman’s dream is to start his own company. His enthusiasm and dedication to entrepreneurship has been a hallmark of his studies at the UTSA College of Business.
“It’s my life goal. It’s my passion,” said Berryman, a senior from Midlothian, TX. “I’ll only be truly satisfied if I can create something from scratch and make an impact.”
A double major in entrepreneurship and finance, Berryman was recently recognized as one of the 100 Best Business Students, an honor achieved by only the top two percent of students in the College of Business.
Berryman’s love for entrepreneurship was tested when he was asked to participate in the college’s $100K Student Technology Venture Competition three days before the competition. The competition pairs engineering students who have designed a product with business students who develop the business plan. The culmination is a live pitch in front of judges and investors.
“At that time my friend and I were already working on three projects, but after being asked to join the competition, my friend called me and said, ‘What are you in school for, to make good grades, or do big things?’”
His team only had three days to prepare the 40-page business plan and final presentation, which would normally have been completed over an entire semester. While their group did not place in the competition, their hard work and the immediacy of their deadline earned the team positive feedback by the judges.
“They were amazed at what we did in just three days,” Berryman said. “That has been my most memorable experience at UTSA.” He is looking forward to gaining the full experience of the competition in the upcoming fall and spring semesters.
Berryman’s passion for entrepreneurship was influenced by his father. “My dad was always an entrepreneur. He always talked about starting a business and inventions.” Due to family responsibilities, his father didn’t have the opportunity to follow his dream, yet Berryman was inspired to pursue entrepreneurship in the present.
“Once I graduate I’m going to take that leap before I have responsibilities that require a steady salary,” he said.
This summer Berryman has chosen to increase his knowledge and experience in finance by interning with AllianceBernstein. He is working on creating risk maps for their international division and building a fund fact sheet repository. In January Berryman will travel to India with the College of Business immersion program.
With his enthusiasm and outstanding work ethic, Trent Berryman is sure to achieve his goals.
Molly Miller—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Lety Laurel
