Alex Carratt proudly displays his original USF student ID card from over twenty years
ago.When Alex Carratt (‘04, ‘06) recently returned to the USF Tampa campus, he brought more than memories. Tucked away among his belongings was a piece of his original student ID card from 2000.
For Carratt, now a Client Valuations analyst for Derivative Product at RBC Capital Markets in London, the visit to USF was more than a trip down memory lane. It was an opportunity to reconnect with the university that helped shape his career in finance and provided the foundation for a life that would eventually take him back across the Atlantic.
Originally from Greece, Carratt chose USF because of its location in a growing metropolitan area. With family ties in Florida, Tampa quickly felt like the right fit.
One of his favorite aspects of the university was the diversity of the student body. Through friendships with classmates from around the world, including India and Cyprus, Carratt said he gained exposure to cultures and experiences that broadened his worldview.
Academically, Carratt gravitated toward mathematics, economics and finance. His first class at USF was an algebra course in Cooper Hall in August 2000, a memory he still recalls more than two decades later.
Carratt revisits his workspace in the basement of the USF Library where he held his
first student job.Outside the classroom, he immersed himself in campus life. He worked in the library, spending months assisting in the lower levels of the building, served as a teaching assistant for Greek language courses, and later became a teaching assistant for Calculus I. Those experiences reinforced his love of learning and helped develop skills that would prove valuable throughout his career.
Carratt ultimately chose to major in finance, influenced in part by his father who is a professor of economics and statistics. While finance was a popular field at the time, he also was drawn to the analytical side of business and economics.
At USF, he discovered another passion that would remain with him throughout his professional life: technology.
"I became interested in coding and technology through classes I took at USF," he said. "Back then, programs like Microsoft Excel were just becoming essential tools. Today, everyone uses them."
After earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Finance from USF and graduating magna cum laude, Carratt began his professional career as a teller at Bank of America in Temple Terrace while also teaching Greek lessons. Seeking to be closer to family, he then returned to Greece where he transitioned into commercial banking and continued building his career in the financial sector.
Despite the international scope of his career, Carratt remains quick to credit USF for providing the foundation that made his journey possible.
The experience, however, left him searching for new opportunities. When his brother moved to the U.K. to pursue a career in business, Carratt followed.
In 2011, Carratt arrived in London and spent the next decade building a career across some of the world's leading financial and data institutions. He began in market data and analytics roles at Thomson Reuters before moving to U.S. Bank. He later joined S&P Global, where he worked in trading analytics. Today, he serves in Client Valuations for Derivative Products at RBC Capital Markets.
Despite the international scope of his career, Carratt remains quick to credit USF for providing the foundation that made his journey possible.
"There is a direct link between my success and my time at USF," he said. "The professors were ahead of the curve. They helped me understand how financial markets operate, and you need that broader understanding if you're going to work in a major financial center like London or New York."
Ever dedicated to his alma mater, Carratt stays connected through USF alumni events in the U.K.
Pictured (left to right): Bessie Skoures, AVP Global Outreach, Communications & Philanthropy at USF World, Alex Carratt, and Caitlin Breen, International Alumni Officer at USF World.
More than 20 years after arriving on campus as a student, Carratt remains actively involved with the university. For the past decade, he has been a familiar face within USF's alumni community in the U.K., participating in gatherings ranging from informal meetups and boat tours to larger university-sponsored events.
As the London alumni community has grown, Carratt remained one of its most dedicated supporters. Faculty members who have led study abroad programs in the U.K. often speak appreciatively of his willingness to engage with students and alumni alike.
"I feel this gratitude toward USF," Carratt said. "It's always been part of my interest to come back and see if I can provide advice to current students and share my knowledge."
That desire to give back was one of the reasons he enthusiastically participated in celebrations surrounding USF's London study abroad programs and continues to support opportunities that connect students with alumni abroad.
"My degree has been a good investment, no pun intended," Carratt said. "And if I can help further someone else's experience by providing advice to current students who are interested in this field, I'm happy to do that."