AMA scores high in national competition

The Montana State Marketing Team brought home many victories from the American Marketing Association (AMA) International Collegiate Conference, held in Chicago from March 17 to 19. The MSU chapter has had great success in the past six years of competing at the conference and this year’s chapter kept the ball rolling for the next teams to come. 

Isabelle Ivankovich, the MSU chapter president and a senior majoring in marketing and finance, was named the AMA Marketing Student of the Year at this year's event. This title is awarded to only one out of 10,000 AMA students.

“To win the Student Marketer of the Year award was an honor that is hard to explain,” Ivankovich said. “These students, both at MSU and around the world, are future leaders in the industry. To be recognized in this capacity is something I do not take lightly. I am so humbled by the students that chose me for this award, as I know they are all intelligent and professional individuals. Even to be chosen as AMA MSU’s representative to nominate for this award was such an honor, given there were many other deserving individuals.”

Abby Elliott, a marketing and management business major, and her team, including Mary Landes and Aliina Gregerson, won first place for Marketing Week. Marketing week provides chapters the opportunity to showcase career opportunities in marketing and also highlight the benefits of being a member through programming on campus. “This was such an honor and I am grateful I had such a tremendous team working with me,” Elliott said. “The chapter as a whole worked so hard this year and placed high in almost every event.”

More MSU awards are as follows:

• First place: Best Recruitment Video - Caden Claeys, Amaya Frank
• First place: Best Marketing Week - Abby Elliott, Aliina Gregerson, Mary Landes
• Second Place: Giving Tuesday Fundraising
• Second Place: Social Impact Scholarship - Hanna Rassmussen-Herzog
• Third Place: International Case Competition
• Third Place: Undergraduate Research Competition - Keely Morrison
• Third Place: Best Website: Noken Aier, Lance McCutcheaon, Amaya Frank
• 14th Place: SABRE Business Simulation - Abby Elliott, Amaya Frank, Kathleen Glockner, Kalysta Tripp, Mariah Moulton
• Finalist: Perfect Pitch Competition - Max Beebe
• Top 10: International Chapter out of over 300 universities worldwide

“The experience I have garnered through my time in AMA has been critical to my career preparedness,” Ivankovich said. “I have learned how to work in a team, think creatively, problem solve and most importantly how to efficiently run an organization. Our chapter has worked incredibly hard to receive the Top 10 International designation for the third time.” 

Eric Van Steenberg, a professor in the business school, is the faculty advisor for the MSU chapter. “We would not be anywhere without him,” Elliott said. “He cares so much about the success of his students and has so much knowledge that is a major factor in how our chapter performs. Jabs has also provided great support this entire year with our events and the competition in Chicago.”

“The amount of networking and education opportunities through the chapter has increased my knowledge and helped guide me to become someone who is passionate about marketing,” Elliott said. “AMA has been the best decision career wise in terms of my future success while I have been in college. I get to work on projects and gain real life experience that can be transferred to my future career.”

For more information about AMA or to become a member visit https://www.amamontanastate.org/. Memberships are available to all students of any major.