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Amie Burdette is perpetually on the go.  

“My mom always said the busier I was, the better I was,” said Amie, a Chesapeake native and Strome College of Business marketing major. “I can spread myself out without spreading myself too thin.”  

As a member of ���ϲ�����’s Class of 2026, Amie is staying busy before graduation by doing what she’s done all four years at the University: being a servant leader with a heart for helping others.  

“If there’s something I want to do, I will put my heart in it,” Amie said.  

As a child, Amie was drawn to the Salvation Army bell ringers standing outside of stores during the holiday season. But, it wasn’t the people dressed in Santa hats who caught her eye. She wanted to drop money in their donation buckets to help others, she said.  

And that inclination to serve stayed with her. Amie came to the University in 2022 without knowing what she wanted to major in, just that she wanted to pursue a career that allowed her to give back to the community. 

“I wanted to find my way,” Amie said. “And I felt like being at ���ϲ����� would help me find it.”  

One day during Amie’s sophomore year, she was walking along Kaufman Mall and spotted rows of tables lining the sidewalks — it was a club fair designed to get students involved.  

Amie said she felt pulled to the American Marketing Association (AMA) Strome Marketers table, which was staffed by Michelle Carpenter&�Բ�����;(�ѵ���&�Բ�����;’06),&�Բ�����;�� professor in the Department of Marketing. A conversation, followed by a request from Professor Carpenter, led Amie to create a social media post for AMA Strome Marketers, and, before long, she found herself on the club’s social media team.  

“I thought, ‘This is so much fun,’” Amie said. “‘This is something I could really get involved in. It helped me to really understand what marketing was.’”  

Amie soon found her place as a leader within AMA Strome Marketers. She got to know the other club and leadership team members and was elected president for two consecutive academic years in 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. Her passion for leadership was contagious, because during that time the key officer group doubled in size. 

Under Amie’s leadership, the Strome Marketers became an AMA Top Ten Small Collegiate Chapter in 2025, a first in the chapter’s history. She was also selected to lead multiple AMA collegiate conference sessions and teach other universities how to replicate the club’s growth and success. 

Beyond membership growth, Amie also leaned into community service during her time as president. She organized a collection of items to help people who are homeless, including socks, toiletries, feminine products and cold-weather gear.  

The club stocked more than 100 bags, far surpassing its goal of several dozen, and delivered the bags to the Chesapeake Cares Resource Center. In another donation drive, Amie and the Strome Marketers collected animal care items for pet owners experiencing economic hardships.  

“Any club should try to be involved and give back,” Amie said. “Because the community gives back to us.”  

Professor Carpenter called Amie one of the most dedicated, involved AMA students she has worked with during her 15-year tenure with the club.  

“I could not be prouder of the many contributions of Amie and her tireless work on behalf of the club,” Professor Carpenter said. “She has faithfully promoted and actively represented the club at every event while managing her studies, internship and part-time work. She is a great example of a servant leader and embodies the true spirit of a Monarch.” 

At the same time as her community-focused service and her historic chapter leadership, Amie juggled internships with the Van Syckle Group and Old Dominion University Sports Marketing. She applied what she learned through AMA Strome Marketers and ultimately decided to pursue a marketing major with a concentration in digital marketing.  

“I love how marketing still allows you to be creative,” Amie said. “There are so many tools to utilize. It’s a mix of creativity and logistics.”  

And, if Amie’s calendar still wasn’t full, she continued working part-time at Southside BBQ in Chesapeake and taking care of her aging grandparents during her four years at the University.  

In April, Amie learned she was a finalist for the University’s prestigious Kaufman Award, which is presented to a graduating senior who has helped to advance the University with the highest qualities of leadership and service.  

While she is thrilled to be recognized, Amie said it was never the goal.  

After graduation, she is set to begin working with a Hampton Roads-based social media management company. There, Amie will use her marketing knowledge, along with her passion for service, to help others, just as she has throughout her college experience.