Cameron Boyland still has his senior year to get through before graduating from the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Yet he’s already finding ways to give back to a place that has provided direction for his professional aspirations.
For starters, “Big Cam,” as he is known around campus, serves as a senator for the University of Arkansas’ Associated Student Government. “I wanted to make sure the business school’s voice was heard,” he says.
Cameron also serves in other ways, which includes being membership chair of the university’s chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), as well as a member on the communication committee for the American Marketing Association on campus.
“I have learned a lot about myself at the U of A, and a lot about people.”
Majoring in management with a marketing minor, Cameron discovered he had a talent for business while attending Central High School in his hometown of Little Rock. While there, he was president for two years with his school’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter. When University of Arkansas Ambassadors visited his school, he began researching the university and discovered the Walton College was the perfect fit for him, especially since it was nationally ranked. His family encouraged him to explore new opportunities and inspired him to pursue higher education.
Weeks before he was a college freshman, Cameron participated in the Walton College’s Business Leadership Academy, a residential program that creates an awareness of retail career choices and opportunities that exist within all college of business majors. He knew he was headed in the right direction. “I just wanted to do something different and become a professional in all aspects of business,” he says.
It might be owning his own company or pursuing a larger goal. “I want to be a part of something that contributes to the enhancement of the economy and global community,” he says.
He experienced commerce on the other side of the globe when he interned with Natooke Bike and Gear Co. in Beijing, China, where he helped with the company’s marketing strategy. Cameron anticipates returning to the country through other internship programs before he graduates.
Cameron participated in the “Shark Tank” Challenge in Arlington, Texas, which was part of the 2014 Alley Scholars Summit. He was a member of the Walton College team that took third place for their online grocery service business model.
He is also a member of the Students of Retailing Excellence (STORE), Leadership Walton, Student Support Services and serves as Vice Basileus for the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. His honors and awards include receiving the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Scholarship, being selected for Duke University’s PhD Pipeline Opportunity Program and being recognized as a 2014 National Scholar.
Cameron says many of his opportunities wouldn’t have been available without the help of Barbara Lofton, director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Walton College. “Through her experiences, she has opened doors for minorities here,” he says.
He hopes to do the same for others someday. “I have learned a lot about myself at the U of A, and a lot about people,” he says.
