Unlocking potential: the impact of student organizations on Business Gators
At the Warrington College of Business, there are over 40 student organizations for our nearly 8,000 Business Gators to get involved with to learn, network and gain experience outside the classroom.
Cassandra Green, Peter Angelo and James Walter are three Business Gators who have flourished by joining student organizations in their respective fields. Read how these brilliant business student leaders have grown through their extracurriculars.
Cassandra Green, BSBA Marketing ’25, Co-President of UF’s Chapter of the American Marketing Association
Cassandra Green started out at the University of Florida as a health science major to pursue a career as a doctor. While she was passionate about relationship-building, Green quickly realized that she wanted to incorporate more of her creativity in a future role.
She joined the American Marketing Association her freshman year to give marketing a try. In doing so, she found her passion.
“[AMA] exposed me to all the sides of marketing,” she explained, including campaign development for a local Gainesville business, SWOT analyses for various case competitions, presentation building for marketing plans and more. All this allowed her to comfortably explore the field.
Within the last four years, Green has worked from marketing director to vice president of membership & recruitment to her current role as co-president of the American Marketing Association.
She has also served as a marketing committee member in Latin American Women in Business, served as a mentee in the UF Business Undergraduate Mentorship Program, co-founded and served as the assistant executive director for Sparks: The UF Marketing Firm and competed in case competitions through the University of Florida as well as the Warrington College of Business.
“I feel like clubs are the easiest way to get connected on campus both professionally and personally.”
Aside from her extracurriculars in the business school, Green has also had several internships. She served as a marketing intern for New Heights Communication in summer 2023 and currently serves as as an advertising intern for the Independent Alligator.
She learned about the Pepsi Co. Kickstart program from a friend which led her to a marketing internship with the company in summer 2024.
Upon graduation, Green will join the Pepsi Co. team in Chicago as a marketing analyst.
Green believes her involvement in UF student organizations gave her a head-start and understanding of the work she’ll be doing in her career.
“Dip your toes into anything you may be potentially interested in,” she advises. “Being involved is the best way to figure out what you’re meant to do.”
Peter Angelo, BSBA Finance ’25, President of UF Student Finance Group
When Peter Angelo applied to the University of Florida, a business degree was not on his mind. Instead, he started off as an industrial and systems engineering major.
Toward the end of his freshman year, Angelo realized that he wanted to study something that was more business driven. “I just couldn’t really see myself doing it for a full four years,” he explained.
“I started to take a couple of introductory businesses classes [over the summer], and then really started boots on the ground, going full steam sophomore fall.”
Since then, Angelo hasn’t looked back.
“I feel like I made the correct decision,” Angelo said. To him, the community that comes with being a business student is invaluable.
He joined UF Student Finance Group where he worked his way up from fundraising director to vice president of professional development to vice president of finance.
Now, he is the president of the club.
“When I was elected president at the end of last semester, it was really just a full circle moment,” he explained. “It was really meaningful because it just proves that everything that I’ve done for the organization has had its impact, and the people, the general body who were there to vote, recognized that as well.”
Back in fall 2023, Angelo applied for an internship with Royal Caribbean Group. At the same time, the cruise company came to speak to UF Student Finance Group.
He used that opportunity to network with the representatives. Later that semester, he secured an opportunity with the company to serve as an intern on their investor relations team that summer.
After graduation, Angelo will be joining the Royal Caribbean team as an analyst through their two-year finance rotational program.
This past fall, the company came back to speak to UF Student Finance Group. At that meeting, Angelo was able to share his experience with the general body.
“It was [again], pretty full circle,” he said.
Angelo advises students to be the best genuine version of themselves and to always put their best foot forward.
“At the end of the day, it’s really what you take away and what you build through your time here.”
James Walter, BSAc ’27, MAcc ’27, President of Florida Students of Accounting Council
While James Walter knew he wanted to pursue a business degree, he was undecided between finance and accounting coming into the University of Florida.
At his summer preview, Walter decided to go to an accounting breakout room to learn more about the program. In the session, Walter was able to have a one-on-one meeting with one of the Fisher School of Accounting advisors.
“He gave me a lot of information about the great benefits of accounting,” he explained. “Now that I’ve been involved with accounting for the past three years, I can see firsthand that everything he said is true.”
He joined the Florida Students of Accounting Council mid-way through his freshman fall semester to meet more accounting majors.
“To try to build that community within the accounting school can be kind of difficult when you don’t have a lot of in-person classes until your junior year,” he explained. “We try to focus on a lot of those younger students.”
The Florida Students of Accounting Council invites accounting firms to attend general body meetings, so members have the chance to learn and speak with professionals.
Through networking and social events, the organization hopes to connect aspiring accountants with resources to navigate the journey of networking, academic success, internships and more.
Walter will be joining Berkowitz Pollack Brant in their West Palm Beach office for a tax internship this summer. Next summer, he’ll be interning with Big 4 accounting firm, KPMG as in intern in their Chicago office.
He plans to stay in public accounting and will work toward being a chief tax officer or chief financial officer for a public company.
Walter encourages students to get involved to connect with like-minded students and take advantage of the opportunities offered through the Warrington College of Business.
“Iron sharpens iron,” he said. “Go out to student organizations, meet people [and] learn from them.”
