Becoming a campus leader was not on Morgan Blamey’s mind when she enrolled at Arkansas Tech University, but her desire to pay forward what she learned from others led her on a journey she did not see coming.
“Being involved in so many leadership positions on campus has been so pivotal because I never thought I would be in that position,” said Blamey. “I never thought that I would be leading meetings and people would be looking to me for guidance. You never know until you try. If you want to pursue leadership, it’s a sign that you should. It’s a sign that you have those skills, that you want to help others and that you want to be a beacon of light and mentorship to other students.”
Blamey, a senior business management major from Scranton, was selected by the ATU Office of Student Leadership Development as the ATU student leader of the month for September 2026.
“Arkansas Tech University was the one place that clicked with me,” said Blamey when asked why she chose ATU. “I interacted with the faculty, and I felt a sense of deep caring. The faculty and staff here at Arkansas Tech want you to succeed, and that really resonated with me. I spent a lot of time on this campus growing up. Both of my parents (Jaime and John Blamey) are alumni, so my roots run deep on this campus.”
Blamey is a member of the ATU Presidential Leadership Cabinet and the ATU College of Business and Economic Development Student Leadership Council, but perhaps her most formative leadership experience at Arkansas Tech has been her service as president of the ATU chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Collegiate.
It was through her involvement with FBLA Collegiate that Blamey found a friend and a mentor in Olivia Johnson, who graduated from Arkansas Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in digital marketing in 2024 and a Master of Business Administration degree in 2025.
Johnson went on to join the ATU LeMoyne Smith School of Business faculty and was serving as coordinator of student success, instructor of business administration and FBLA Collegiate advisor at the time of her passing on Sunday, Oct. 4. Johnson was 24.
“Olivia was one of the first people I met at Arkansas Tech,” said Blamey. “Her knowledge that she has passed on to me is one of the most priceless things I could ever obtain. I’ve been able to become the mentor that Liv was to me, and it’s really a full circle, bittersweet moment. She meant a lot to us, and we’re definitely grieving her loss. She set us up for so much success. She saw so much value in me, and therefore I saw value in myself.”
Blamey will graduate from Arkansas Tech with her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in December 2026. She will continue her pursuit of her Master of Business Administration degree while serving as a graduate assistant in the ATU Office of Study Abroad with an anticipated second graduation date of May 2028.
Once she completes her graduate degree, Blamey plans on pursuing career opportunities in marketing and advertising.
Learn more about the ATU Office of Student Leadership Development at www.atu.edu/leadership_programs.
