James Velissaris began his career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst, then moved to Arden Asset Management, where he conducted analysis on asset allocation and portfolio construction. While at Arden, Velissaris published research on diversified statistical arbitrage. Velissaris ended up at Harvard University, where he played first as a running back and second as a cornerback, Harvard’s football team website shows Velissaris graduated from the university with a degree in economics. He also received a master’s degree in operations research, with a concentration in financial engineering, from Columbia University. During his academics, James Velissaris received several scholarships and took on several jobs on campus in order to pay his tuition fee. He was a part of religious clubs and other various student groups. James Velissaris is a very well-known name in the financial industry. His qualifications speak for themself and there is a lot that the youth of today can learn from such an esteemed individual by simply having a conversation with him about his experiences. His ocean of knowledge and his humble nature can definitely be looked upon as an example to become successful in the financial industry.