Three McNeese Students Receive Scholarships from Leading Marketing Academy

Three McNeese State University marketing students have each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS), one of the leading academic organizations in the marketing discipline.

Dr. Cassandra Ditt, assistant professor of marketing at McNeese, is a member of AMS and encouraged her students to apply. Kaitlyn MacNamara and Sarah Palermo, Sulphur, and Maygen McMahon, DeRidder, all received awards.

MacNamara received her marketing degree from McNeese in fall 2021 and is now working on her Master of Business Administration degree. After her undergraduate graduation, she joined Henderson Family Enterprises as a marketing coordinator.

“McNeese gave me the opportunity to learn from industry experts,” she says. “All of my professors genuinely wanted me to succeed and made the curriculum relevant to today’s job market. I am able to apply so many of their lessons to my current job and I know I will use this knowledge for years to come in my career.”

Marketing senior Palermo says the AMS scholarship helped defray her cost of tuition and books at McNeese, which allowed her to stay on track as she worked towards her degree.

“This was the first and only scholarship I have applied to while at McNeese,” she says. “The application was simple and it was a nice surprise when my acceptance letter came in!”

Palermo credits McNeese with preparing her for success in her career. After she graduates in summer 2022, she plans on moving to Puerto Rico where she will begin her career in digital marketing. She has agreed to a three-year modeling contract with GModels and will also join the social media team with Hecht Yeah Charters.

“All of my professors have gone the extra mile to support me not only through my studies but also through personal hardships,” she says. “It means a lot to me that they care about me as a student and a person. I have learned from some of the best in the marketing industry and I know I can call on all of my professors in the future should I need anything.”

McMahon is also a marketing senior and plans to graduate in fall 2022. She says the scholarship award is a testament to the quality of education the university provides.

“Receiving this scholarship proves that I am a competitive candidate with students from across the nation,” McMahon said. “Between the pandemic and multiple natural disasters, my faculty members have been with me each step of the way and have influenced my personal and professional life.”