2025 Best & Brightest Business Major: Amaya Jones
Poets&Quants For Undergrads, the premier news source for undergraduate business education, has released its 10th annual “Best & Brightest Business Majors” feature, honoring 100 of the most accomplished seniors in business-related fields such as marketing, finance, operations, and business administration. This year, Amaya Jones and Sam Beal have been selected as part of this prestigious group, representing the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
The 2025 Best & Brightest list includes a balanced cohort of 51 men and 49 women, each recognized for their leadership, academic excellence, and contributions to their schools and communities. As part of this honor, Amaya and Sam each have a featured individual profile highlighting their achievements, extracurricular involvement, and defining college experiences. Faculty and administrators have expressed immense pride in their selection:
“As faculty, we are thrilled to see Amaya and Sam recognized for their spirit, leadership, character, and achievements. They represent our student body really well since so many students impress and inspire us every day. If there were an award for ‘business schools with the best students,’ I’d expect that we would be top-ranked in that category as well.” – Professor Michael G. Luchs, Chair of the Marketing Department, J.S. Mack Professor of Business
“Miller Hall is filled with greatness. You can sense the incredible talent and value of our students even as you brush past them in the halls. If you look at all that is happening in the world right now, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But when you work with our students, it’s near-impossible not to be filled with hope for the future. Students like Sam and Amaya set the bar high and demonstrate to all of our students—present and future—what’s possible when you bring your story and your best to the table. They make us proud, and they make us better.” – Professor Phil Wagner, Clinical Associate Professor in Organizational Behavior
Amaya Jones - Raymond A. Mason School of Business, Best & Brightest Business Major
“I’m a foodie, flower-enthusiast, and gentle leader that strives to make people feel included and important.”
Fun fact about yourself: I started my own baking business at thirteen. That entrepreneurial experience steered me towards the world of business!
Hometown: Chesterfield, Virginia
High School: Matoaca High School
Major: Marketing
Minor: Sociology
Favorite Business Course: Professor Phil Wagner’s “Identity, Power, and Profit”
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College
Leadership Roles:
- Lead Coordinator for Brown Table Talk, William & Mary Center for Student Diversity
Community Work:
- Social Justice & Policy Initiatives Fellow for The Village Initiative (local non-profit), William & Mary Sociology Department
- Facilitator for Election Season Circles, William & Mary Office of Conflict Resolution & Education
- Undersecretary of Socioeconomic Affairs, William & Mary Student Assembly
Honors:
- The Posse Foundation Full-Tuition Leadership Scholarship- William & Mary Cohort 1
- The Colin Powell Global Engagement Scholarship
- Dean’s List
Where have you interned during your college career?
The past two summers, I completed internships with General Motors in Detroit, MI as an OnStar Digital eCommerce Strategy Intern and, most recently, as a Buick & GMC Global Marketing Intern. Additionally, while at school, I work on the Alumni Engagement & Inclusion Initiatives team within the William & Mary Alumni Association. This is my second school year with them!
Where will you be working after graduation?
I am currently pursuing roles that will allow me to leverage my marketing and communications expertise to promote positive social change. The job search process can be daunting; however, with my education, experience, and support system, I’m confident I’ll soon land a position I can be proud of.
Who is your favorite business professor?
While all of Mason’s faculty are great, Phil Wagner is an exceptional professor and mentor. Phil’s interactive, experiential-based teaching style places the value of diversity of thought at the center of learning. I have not only had the pleasure of taking his courses, but also TAing his course at W&M’s Washington Center in DC entitled “Identity, Power, and Profit.” Through it all, Phil never compromises his commitment to community and self. Mason is fortunate to have him, and I am better for knowing him.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business?
Business is inextricably linked to all aspects of modern society. Marketing, for example, is the study of how humans make meaning. We ask, what does this pricing strategy signal to the market and what type of person should this product attract? Every decision individuals make is connected to the work of a business professional somewhere. Therefore, we should not make them lightly. My understanding of this interconnectedness is strengthened by my minor studies in sociology— a reflection of W&M’s liberal arts standard.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field?
I am a big proponent of self-advocacy. College should be a safe space for you to expand on your strengths and overcome your weakness. Neither can be done without help. Faculty, staff, peers, bosses, coworkers — everyone around you is there to support you. Life, and business, is a team sport. Internalize that fact, then ask for and offer help generously.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why?
W&M has a strong research culture! If I could do it over again, I would challenge myself to get involved in business research. I do sociological research in my minor studies; however, I think it would have been really rewarding to complete marketing research of any kind!
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI?
The use of generative AI gradually became more normalized over the course of my college career, and my business curriculum reflected that shift. My sophomore year in Professor Ayse Durukan Sonmez’s “Predictive Analytics” class, she taught us the big picture differences between our course work, prescriptive analytics, and the machine learning that powers AI. My junior year, in Professor Inga Carboni’s “Business and Society” course, guest speaker and Ed tech expert, Karen Conner, gave us a presentation comparing the utility of different generative AI platforms, proper prompt generation, and lead an engaging conversation on the ethical concerns around the use of AI in business. Now, in my senior year, I am taking “Marketing Strategy” with Professor Dawn Edmiston, who is leading the charge on AI integration at Mason. Professor Edmiston hosts in-class activities that expose AI’s strengths and pitfalls.
In all, I have learned that while AI enables us to “work smarter, not harder”, it is not and can never be a blanket solution. Human restraint and discernment are required to utilize the tool properly.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of?
Freshman year, Brown Table Talk (BTT) gave me a voice before I knew I needed the outlet. BTT is a safe space for women of color to share their experiences and gain a sense of belonging on campus. There, I found that common ground based on identity allowed me to fast-track meaningful connections. Now, I have the privilege of maintaining that space as Lead Coordinator. I curate discussion questions that strengthen our built-in community. It can be difficult to craft programming that is deep enough to challenge my peers, yet approachable enough for students to engage authentically. When I do strike this balance though, it is rewarding to witness the transformative power of genuine connection. This experience has not only deepened my understanding of identity and intersectionality, but has also equipped me with effective leadership and communication skills that I utilize in my other commitments.
Which classmate do you most admire?
I respect and admire my classmate, and fellow Posse Scholar, Alina Uzak. Sophomore year, we took Professor Katherine Guthrie’s infamous “Financial Management” course. Although we were not in the same section, we shared notes, studied, and attended office hours together. Alina took to the course material a lot faster (and better) than me, but she wasn’t one to gloat. Now, she is a senior finance major and will be working at Microsoft upon graduation. I am so proud of her!
Who would you most want to thank for your success?
Undeniably, my success at W&M has been shaped by the mentorship of Professor John “Rio” RioFrio. Rio is an exemplary human who happens to be my Posse mentor. Posse is a leadership-based scholarship W&M provides. Over the almost four years I’ve known him, Rio has dedicated so much time and energy to getting to know me as a person before a scholar. He uses his invaluable gift of putting one’s humanity above all else not simply as a point of connection, but to challenge my perspective in a way that feels essential. More than a degree, I am grateful that W&M, in partnership with the Posse Foundation, chose Rio to be my cohort’s mentor. Little did they know we would become family.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
- I hope to work at an organization that understands that diverse teams yield thoughtful solutions and embodies my personal values of advocacy, equity, and inclusion.
- One day I hope to own and operate a marketing consultancy that caters to small businesses and non-profits. My team of consultants, marketers, artists, and analysts would work together to transform raw data into strategy to drive success. Collaboration among unlikely pairs and diversity of thought would be key to my management style.
Professor Insights: What made Amaya such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?
“Amaya is a leader among leaders. She is a Posse scholar and a student leader in many circles. She completed an impressive internship with General Motors. She was my course TA for a William & Mary Washington Center course in Fall 2024, and she was such a leader in every sense. She not only managed logistics with precision-handling everything from coordinating schedules to ensuring seamless communication, but also took a proactive role in shaping the intellectual environment of the course. She built meaningful discussion opportunities that pushed students to think critically, connecting course material to real-world applications in ways that deepened their engagement. My course was a success because of her. Beyond that, she was an incredible problem-solver. Whether it was handling last-minute changes, addressing student concerns with empathy, or streamlining course details behind the scenes, she ensured everything ran smoothly. Her ability to balance administrative precision with a deep commitment to student learning made her an invaluable part of the course. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better TA: her leadership, initiative, and dedication elevated the experience for everyone involved. Amaya truly exemplifies our best and brightest. She has seized every opportunity available to her–studying abroad, giving back, and investing in other Mason students. She is AMAZING in every way. She is a student who has left an impact on ME.” - Professor Phil Wagner
Through dedication, leadership, and impact, Amaya exemplifies the excellence of the Raymond A. Mason School of Business and stands as an inspiring representative of the next generation of business leaders.
This story was written by Jeff Schmitt and lightly modified to better serve the Mason School community. It originally appeared in Poets&Quants on March 29, 2025.
