AMA names Karla Amaro Student Marketer of the Year

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Karla Amaro, a senior marketing major at Texas State University’s McCoy College of Business, has been named the 2025 AMA Student Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association (AMA).

Amaro was presented with the award during the 2025 AMA International Collegiate Conference, which was held April 3-5 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The AMA Student Marketer of the Year award is given to one student annually who demonstrates strong leadership, service to the AMA, academic performance, and community impact. Amaro was selected from over 10,000 students and 300-plus collegiate chapters.

“It just felt so surreal,” Amaro said. “I felt like I was kind of like floating at the moment. I wasn't really there. It took a second to come back to reality.”

Amaro, who will graduate in May with a BBA in marketing, revitalized Texas State’s AMA chapter since joining in 2022. Starting as director of membership and later becoming president, she focused on initiatives to boost member engagement and build a cohesive community of marketers.

“I saw the fallout of AMA coming back from COVID,” she said. “I saw a lot of potential there. That's where I gained my passion for AMA. To me it's been about building the community for marketers and all the students.”

Reflecting on the recognition, Amaro said the award represents her dedication and effort in the student organization.

“[It] means the world to me, that my passion, my dedication, my time that I put into it is definitely worth it,” she said. “It definitely means that I am going in the right career towards marketing.”

In a LinkedIn post, Amaro thanked the student organization's faculty advisory, Craig Miller, an associate professor of instruction in McCoy College's marketing department, vice presidents, and board of directors.

Amaro is also the chief marketing officer for McCoy College’s Student Business Council, where she’s created branding guidelines, collaborated on marketing strategies, and helped raise awareness for the council and McCoy College Student Success Center. She also built a personal marketing portfolio website showcasing her campaign work, branding projects, and creative strategy skills — work she credits with helping her refine her career goals in campaign strategy.

Beyond her professional development, Amaro says mentorship and a community-focused approach have been core to her leadership style.

“That's been like the biggest thing for me is that I want to help others grow and help empower others,” she said. “I'm very big on being the leader that supports others and is a resource for others.”

Amaro’s recognition as Student Marketer of the Year capped off her senior year, and as a first-generation college student, she said she sees the award as validation of her hard work.

“Through all that work taking that time [to develop] myself, I feel that I'm not going to have imposter syndrome once I graduate,” she said. “I feel like I'm going to be feel very secure in marketing.”

For first-generation students or aspiring marketers trying to find their path, her advice is simple: 
“I would highly recommend getting involved as soon as possible,” she said. “I took the opportunity to come in and restructure everything, and now it's become such a beautiful community.”

Amaro said she will pass the torch to president-elect Ana Valdes at the end of the academic year.

“Ana is taking the time to shadow me and see what I do,” Amaro said. “She's already been taking the initiative so I feel very, very secure that she's going to keep excelling.” ✯