my gratitude for AMA
I have always seen myself as someone passionate to learn. To me, marketing is the perfect field to continually learn and improve, being both a science and an art. Studying in the Haslam College of Business program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and being a part of the American Marketing Association (AMA) has been an incredible opportunity to surround myself with peers and faculty that have truly made a difference in my life.
Receiving the AMA Knoxville Outstanding Marketing Student Award is an incredible blessing. The award is a competitive scholarship given to only two student UTK AMA Knoxville members annually. I wholeheartedly believe that I could have never received such an award if it weren't for the friends, family, and mentors who have been in my life.
I have grown as an individual while being involved in the American Marketing Association at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, developing skills like time management and communication while learning to work with clients on real-world marketing projects. Because of the opportunities that I have had to work on AMAze Groups with Weigel's, Saint Mary's Legacy Clinic, and the Widowed Parent Relief Project, I have become more aware of how marketing truly is a team sport and that success doesn't happen alone.
Being a part of three amaze groups
What I love so much about marketing, and what I believe is one of my biggest strengths, is the importance of being a team player. Every single one of the AMAze projects I have been on was different. It required communicating with others, whether the client or my teammates, to ensure the team is most effective. I believe that throughout every single one of these projects, which move incredibly quickly, I brought to the table my unique talent in time management. Over the course of each project, I self-paced myself to ensure that whatever I was working on, such as a business card, brochure, research summary, or even a video, the content would be finalized and ready by the deadline.
As a co-leader during the Fall 2023 AMAze Group with the Widowed Parent Relief project, my co-leader and I led a team of 14 students, ensuring the group stayed on track over the semester long project. The project involved creating new branding, including a name and logo, social media designs, print material, research, and a video. From the start, my co-leader and I outlined the path and mini-deadlines our team needed to achieve to finish the project in time. Every week, we served as a resource for our team members, some of which were new to AMAze projects and marketing.
My co-leader and I did everything we could to go above and beyond for the team. During the semester helping the Widowed Parent Relief Project, my co-leader and I also took the lead on creating testimonial videos. The project involved interviewing two parents and three volunteers. Both of us were relatively new to the field of video production and video editing in Premiere Pro. However, we were ready to take on the challenge. After recording over 45 minutes of footage, I sat down over Fall break to edit a five-minute video, which you can find here.
Final thoughts
Overall, I believe that being a part of the American Marketing Association and the AMAze Group Projects has helped me continue growing in my ability to be resourceful and leverage the power of my team members. Also, I have developed my skills as an effective leader. One of the most rewarding experiences of being a co-leader for the Fall 2023 AMAze Group with the Widowed Parent Relief Project was sharing what I learned during my past AMAze projects and internship experience with other students.
I am incredibly grateful for AMA Knoxville. All the support, guidance, and experience this organization has provided throughout my time at UTK is invaluable. I have generally learned so much about marketing and my unique gifts and talents as an individual. I have been blessed and incredibly rewarded to be a part of three AMAze Group projects with AMA Knoxville. It's my goal to continue using my gifts to help make a positive difference the community.
