A Major in the College Experience
Trey Wilson prioritizes relationships during his UGA experience
“What’s still loading for you?”
That’s the go-to ask for anyone Trey Wilson is chatting with. Whether it’s a longstanding project or a dream put on the back burner, he genuinely wants to know.
It’s what also inspired his podcast The Subtext where he kicks every episode off asking creative professionals that question. What goal keeps getting pushed aside?
For Wilson, his subtext is a mindset shift: Be more present in the moment—purpose isn’t found just in success. It’s not always easy for the rising junior already involved in more than a dozen organizations at the University of Georgia.
“That’s what’s still loading for me, not just the work I do, but the way I exist in it,” Wilson says.
Still, every single one of them, from the Student Government Association to The Corsair Society, has made an impression on him. As a tour guide for the UGA Visitors Center, he tells future Bulldogs that there’s a chance for everyone to find their niche and their community.
“When I got to UGA, I felt really lost and confused about my dream and what I was going to do. Now, it’s a full circle moment where I’m in the the position to help others,” Wilson says, reflecting on foundational guidance from fellow students such as Stephen Amolegbe, Andre Akinyemi, and Jhaycee Barnes. “It feels surreal, but I know that I’m going to pour everything I possibly can to help as many people as possible because I’ve been fortunate enough.”
A Redefined College Experience
As the president of the Black Business Student Association and co-founder and president of the Keystone Fellowship, Wilson helped secure a $50,000 Deloitte grant to support a networking summit, a student-powered venture fund, and a range of other capstone projects.
Through that funding, he is also launching a global education initiative that distributes solar-powered tablets to low-income students in Sub-Saharan Africa and rural India. Each tablet comes with a USB drive loaded with offline learning resources. The project fills a technological learning gap for these students, who might not have reliable power or internet service.
“I believe education is such a privilege, one that I often take for granted. It’s college. Soak it all in, smile, and keep growing every day.”
Trey Wilson
As a Terry student majoring in finance and management information systems, Wilson is getting the background he needs to start an educational technology venture. But his curiosity about people led him to study psychology, too.
“I’ve always liked learning about the behaviors of people and how people think. People are just so amazing,” he says. “Everyone is talented, ambitious, and driven, but I think the biggest thing you can offer all of them is genuine kindness. That’s something you can’t teach. So, I want to find a way to tailor education to people better so they’re being seen and heard.”
Never Underestimate the Power of People
Wilson is a born people person and a self-described extrovert.
Over the summer, he landed a coveted internship with Monomoy Capital Partners in New York. And within just two days in the Big Apple, he had already made plans with nearly a dozen people. That affable nature is a family trait, he says.
“Family is, in my opinion, one of the most important things in life,” Wilson says. “On a family beach trip, I asked my grandfather once for advice on finances, and he goes: ‘Do you want to know what my best investment was? It’s this family time that I’ve been able to establish. You can’t put a value on cultivating really good memories.’”
That’s partly where he got the idea for The Subtext. He realized everybody could use similar support to reach personal successes. He helps narrow down long-term goals for busy young adults whose dreams may hit the back burner, to reveal their deeper subtext.
“I want to get deeper with people and help them be comfortable planting their feet in the moment, laughing hard, and learning deeply,” he says. “College isn’t just a stepping stone. It’s your life.”
