The American Marketing Association (AMA) keeps racking up awards at virtual conferences this year. With upwards of 15 conferences this semester alone, over 20 AMA students have placed within the top five places in both sales and digital marketing competitions.

The association strives to assist its members in professional growth and develop their networking skills. Students earn these valuable skills by participating in internal and external competitions. External events have students compete head to head with students from other universities, giving presentations based on their sponsors’ products. 

One student, Sophia Isham, recently won third place at the national Great Northwoods Sales Warm-Up competition. Isham, like many others in AMA, have continued to strive this semester despite the limitations of virtual competitions. 

As a third year student and vice president of strategic partnerships, Isham spent much of her time practicing with her team leading up to the competition. This hard work allows her to build connections to the real world and build a network before graduation.

“It’s a very well-rounded organization that will get you a lot of life experience,” Isham says. “You can go into whatever field you want within AMA and get real life experience.”

Students involved in AMA work closely with the sponsors of the program, creating close relationships with them. 

“I have a good relationship with all of the sponsors,” says sales president Audrey Bouland. “If you’re performing well and you’re in this club, then a lot of them are going to want to hire you. It’s a good way to get your foot in the door, they’ll already know who you are and have confidence that you will bring success to their company.”

The relationships built with sponsors could make the difference between who is chosen for a job within the company. The dedication that student’s devote to the organization can lead to awards for their college career, as well as their futures.The AMA has continued to see successes this semester, despite a virtual conference circuit. 

“AMA is a home for our students who worked hard to achieve,” says AMA advisor Jimmy Peltier. “ We are striving to win the AMA International Best Chapter Award for the tenth straight year. To have the level of success that we have had is incredible. I started advising AMA in 1986, and this is the best year we have ever had, especially in the face of such adversity.”

To learn more about Whitewater’s chapter of the American Marketing Association, visit https://amawhitewater.org/