When Alexander Margetis took his first trigonometry class as a high school student in Stow, Ohio, he discovered that math came naturally to him.
“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life and my career,” Margetis said. “But when you’re unsure, you always go with what you’re good at in school, right?” “That was the first time where I was thinking of pursuing a career in mathematics.”
That early realization eventually led Margetis to 91Թ, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in with a in 2018. Today, he works as a senior analyst in Capital One’s Corporate Valuations Group, handling investment portfolios worth billions of dollars.
Global Upbringing
Margetis was born in California but spent much of his childhood in Greece, where his parents wanted him to connect with his family’s cultural roots. After finishing high school in Ohio, he enrolled at Kent State, where his father worked as a professor in the Physics Department.
Although he considered other universities, Margetis chose Kent State because of the connection with his father which also gave him a glimpse into the quality of professors.
Finding His Path in Mathematics
While Margetis was drawn to math because it came easily to him, he was also intrigued by its applications. Pairing math with finance opened a world of possibilities in predictive modeling—using mathematics and data to forecast everything from stock performance to credit risk.
At Kent State, he found both support and inspiration.
“Something that comes to mind first when talking about Kent State is accessibility,” Margetis said. “I really enjoyed that [across all departments] everyone was trying to help you and give you advice.”
One standout experience came in a course with Fedor Nazarov, Ph.D.
“He deconstructed everything,” Margetis said. “You have this hard problem or equation...and he would break it up in these steps and you would [reach the solution] without realizing you’re all the way—just going step by step.”
Scholarships and Opportunities
During his time at Kent State, Margetis earned several scholarships, including the Choose Ohio First award and support directly from the Mathematics Department. He is most proud of earning a $5,000 scholarship sponsored by NASA because of his honors thesis.
“They asked me to come to their Cleveland office and present with students from other universities pursuing a STEM degree, and I really enjoyed that.”
Building a Career
After completing his master’s degree at the University of Washington, Margetis began his career at Amazon during the pandemic. Although his role managing warehouse logistics wasn’t exactly aligned with his math background, he still saw it as an important step.
“I always thought that that position was like a stepping stone for me to join Amazon, and that I would transition to a position that was closer to my field after a year, and that’s actually what happened,” Margetis said.
Within a year, he transitioned into financial systems analysis at Amazon, later moving to Capital One, where he now works in risk management and corporate valuations. His team is responsible for assessing the market value of commercial loans and managing credit risk portfolios.
“It’s a very interesting process because it’s highly analytical,” Margetis said. “Plus, it’s real money and real stuff.”
Looking Ahead and Advice for Students
As he advances in his career, Margetis hopes to eventually take on a teaching role within finance. He was a mathematics tutor during his time at Kent State.
“I always liked teaching and passing knowledge to other people,” he said.
For current and future students, his advice is simple: take advantage of the resources available.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions,” Margetis said. “If you don’t understand something, go to office hours.”
He also encouraged students to be flexible as they move into their careers.
“If your career takes a different path in the beginning [or whenever], it’s not the end of the world,” Margetis said. “Always pursue your goals and have a vision... whatever you do, have that in mind.”
For Margetis, Kent State provided the foundation to get where he wanted to be, and his journey shows just how far a math degree can take you.
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