University of West Georgia senior Cameron Bligen, president of the Finance Club in the Richards College of Business, is transforming the student experience through leadership and impactful events. Dedicated to fostering growth, Bligen leverages real-world experiences to help prepare his peers for success in the business world.   

By creating opportunities such as the Wolves of Wall Street event and a visit to Wall Street in New York City, Bligen enhances students’ understanding of the financial landscape and inspires them to dream big.  

“Events like these are the biggest benefit to students,” said Bligen. “It’s a critical supplement to anything you can learn in a classroom because it’s real life.”  

The Wolves of Wall Street event proved to be one of the largest student-led events at UWG with approximately 200 individuals attending in-person and online. Attendees had the opportunity to network with senior-level executives from Regions Bank, Clearsight Advisors and Bank of New York (BNY) MellonCorporation, ask questions and learn about current market trends across private equity, fixed income, real estate and alternative investments.    

Bligen’s inspiration to organize a visit to actual Wall Street in early October enabled the group to meet with representatives from Regions Bank and BNY Mellon and have the unique opportunity to be on the New York Stock Exchange floor during the opening ceremony where the American Cancer Society rang the bell. 

 “I'm originally from New York, and when I think of finance, I think of Wall Street careers,” said Bligen. “I wanted to do this event to show finance majors what they can do with their careers and open their eyes to the real world of finance.” 

Through these events, Bligen helps members learn skills like public speaking, time intentionality, discipline and well roundedness. He encourages students to get out of their comfort zone, ask questions, have forward thinking and surround themselves with people who will help them grow.   

“I hope a few years from now, I see members in the club having successful jobs, and they say the Finance Club at the University of West Georgia helped them launch their careers,” said Bligen.  

For more information on UWG’s Finance Club, visit its website.