Reflections Alumnus Action Student Spotlight Faculty Focus Marketing Buzz
October 2009 Alumnus Action
Marketing Alum Makes a Positive Impact Through Teaching
It’s almost ironic that MSU Marketing/MBA alum Amy Stokes is nearly finished with her Ph.D. because at one time she didn’t even plan on finishing her senior year of high school much less attend college. But, as fate would have it, she did, however, hang in that last year of high school, graduated valedictorian of her class, and got a scholarship offer to Missouri State.
For this to make sense, one needs to back up a few years. Says Stokes,“I started singing with my sister when I was very young. We did our first concert when I was eight years old, and we made our first recording when I was 13. By the time I was a junior in high school our brother had joined us, we had recorded a total of three albums, were performing around 200 concerts per year, and had record labels interested in signing us.” In addition, Stokes had also been asked to host a radio show at a local station that specialized in her genre of music, Southern Gospel. “The way things were going, I thought I had no need to continue my education formally because we were ‘making it.’”
It was only because her sister was still in high school when she graduated, that Stokes decided she might as well make use of the scholarship until her sister was out of school so they could devote all of their energy to a music career. “It’s a good thing too,” says Stokes, “because it was during my freshman year at Missouri State that my sister decided she didn’t want to sing anymore. Moral of the story: have a back-up plan, especially when your plans are co-dependent on somebody else!”
MSU alum Amy Stokes takes time out of her busy schedule to enjoy a fish fry with husband, Shane. Fishing is one of her favorite activities, particularly when it's a successful catch!
While the decision to come to college might have been difficult, choosing a major was easy. During high school, Stokes was asked to be on a FBLA team that competed in a marketing competition at a local university. Even though her high school was small and didn’t offer any actual marketing classes, they formed a team; Stokes was asked to be on it because of her experience at the radio station. “We went to that competition with absolutely no clue what we were doing and walked away with a second-place win. I knew that day that I wanted to be in Marketing and declared it when I enrolled my freshman year,” she says.
There are several experiences that stand out vividly to Stokes as she recounts life as a marketing underclassman. Many involve late nights working on advertising/promotions plansbooks and creative projects. During her senior year, she was on Ad Team and was also working at Springfield advertising agency, Noble and Associates. “I would stay up all night working on Ad Team stuff, shower, and then drive to Noble without a lick of sleep.”
It was during those frenetic years that some of her best friendships were formed. “I asked a complete stranger to be on my team in Sherry Cook’s Principles of Marketing class; four years later I was a bridesmaid in her wedding.” Stokes contends that if done right, all those infamous marketing projects help you learn not only about marketing, but about yourself. “When your mind and skills are being stretched and pulled in order to meet the high standards set by this Marketing program, and you’re experiencing this on a team with other people, you walk away either loving them or hating them. Fortunately, I walked away with improved marketing skills and new friends that I keep in touch with to this day.”
Stokes speaks highly of the impact the MSU Marketing Department faculty had on her. “Dr. [Steve] Parker was kind enough to pull me aside and ask what I wanted to do with my life and then offered (and followed through) in helping me achieve it; Sherry Cook asked if it was okay if she recommended me for a position at Noble, which I got; Dr.[Melissa] Burnett encouraged me to use my talents in strategically creative ways; Dr. [Diana] Haytko made a personal call on my behalf to the Marketing Department chair at the University of Arkansas and then went with me to my interview for the Ph.D. program. I could go on and list examples of how each member of the faculty directly impacted my life. They really took the time to help me maximize my potential. They made me aware of opportunities that I didn’t even know existed. I’m the first college graduate from my family and so getting a Ph.D. is nothing I would have ever considered without their prodding and encouragement.”
So how will Stokes take the influences of Missouri State and utilize them in her own teaching career?
“The professors at Missouri State structured their classes in a way that encouraged taking everything to the next level. I learned at Missouri State that doing the minimum is not A-level work and it’s not going to get you noticed or get you the job.”
She tries to instill that same drive in her students to turn in the absolute best work that they can. “Healthy competition is a good thing."
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“It’s a competitive world out there and I want my students to be able to go head-to-head with anybody. The only way they are going to excel after they leave the university is if they’re in the habit of doing great work and going above and beyond the minimum requirements. I love seeing my students do really well and I learned from my professors at Missouri State that bringing a positive attitude into the classroom will motivate and encourage students better than an overly authoritarian attitude," says Stokes.
Amy Stokes, with friend Anna Turri, gets ready to call those Hogs before an Arkansas football game.
Even with great role models, Stokes admits that life as a doctoral student can be pretty stressful. “I thought I knew what I was getting into because the faculty at Missouri State did their best to prepare me, but there’s no way you can anticipate the amount of work that a doctoral program requires. I can’t believe how much I read during my first two years in the program. I look at my office bookshelves that are full of accordion files which are full of articles and it seems impossible that I read all of them. One class alone, my first year in the program, required reading 14 entire books plus an array of articles. And that class was only one of four that I was taking that semester! To sum it up, the first two years was a blur of reading and writing."
Now that she’s finished all of the coursework and has passed the comprehensive exam, she finds the program much more manageable and can focus on teaching without the added stress of concurrently being a student and teacher. “The research I’m conducting for my dissertation is intrinsically interesting to me, and is therefore fun to work on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lot of work, but it’s work that I enjoy doing in part because it’s something I came up with and created,” Stokes explains.
Another thing that has been different is the overwhelming community support for the Razorbacks. “The University of Arkansas is really the only campus in this area with sports, so everybody rallies behind them in a way that I had never really experienced before. Football game days are pretty crazy. There’s an excitement in the air and I’m going to admit that calling the Hogs is actually quite fun!”
Life isn’t all about academics though. Stokes loves to work out, and running has become a way to relax while in the program. “I used to hate running, but while at Missouri State I signed up for a fitness boot camp that kind of forced the issue. I realized very quickly that I was either going to have to keep up or get left behind – way behind. When it’s sink-or-swim, you learn that your body is capable of things you never imagined. It’s a good thing I like to work out and run, because another of my favorite things to do is eat. I’ve really enjoyed getting to try restaurants that are specific to Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas area. However, there are some things for which I will accept no substitute! I was so happy earlier this summer when Andy’s Frozen Custard opened in Fayetteville. Andy’s was one of the things I missed most about Springfield.”
Stokes served as music director and lead singer of her band at Vacation Bible School.
Stokes is also a very active member of her church and recently worked at Vacation Bible School. “It has been much more difficult for me to remain as active as I’d like to be because I’m three hours away, but I still participate when I can. VBS was a huge success this year, and was so much fun for the adult workers and the children.”
So what does this Southern Gospel singer turned doctoral student (who has also harbored the desire to be a truck driver and owner/operator of a Hawaiian Shaved Ice stand) hope for? She wants to impact her own students the way the professors at Missouri State impacted her. In addition, “I want to be remembered by friends and family as somebody who loved without expectation and who worked with passion.”
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