There are many ways to create community, and Amber Burns, KLN ‘15, has done so in-person and online as a digital strategist at Skai Blue Media. The Klein College of Media and Communication alumna who majored in strategic communication has forged and sustained connections through her professional roles and her social media presence. Burns credits the hard work she put in at Temple University for much of her fulfilling career.

As a recent hire at Skai Blue Media, Burns began her current role as a digital strategist after several other positions in communication. At Temple University, she was initially uncertain about what program she wanted to complete. After weighing the benefits of majoring in English or history, she decided to pursue communication because it was a practical mix of both of her passions.

Internships enhanced Burns’ skill set and prepared her for her life beyond Temple. Her foundational internship as a public relations intern at Skai Blue Media was a serendipitous taste of her future career with the agency. There, she engaged with several aspects of the communication industry and found that the profession suited her. Eventually, she completed marketing and public relations internships at the Independence Seaport Museum and the National Constitution Center. Her evident drive was a determining factor in her success, and she gained several mentors through these roles.

Despite her already-busy schedule due to internships and her schoolwork, Burns made it a point to teach herself how to enhance her digital media skills. She started a blog that she hoped could demonstrate to her employers that she understood the lay of the digital landscape. Thus, her love of content creation blossomed, and after graduation, she had time to actualize her creativity.

Burns’ first professional position began in 2015 as a marketing coordinator for Temple. In 2016, she moved on to Visit Philadelphia as a media relations coordinator and a social media content producer. In 2019, she became the communications manager at the City of Philadelphia’s Rebuild project, which aims to improve community facilities.

All the while, Burns created lifestyle content that primarily explored her love of books and reading. Her reach not only extends from her website and blog, but also from her presence on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

"I think it was a mix of finding not only my professional footing in the industry but also being so fascinated by the changes that were happening in digital and so interested and compelled to create my own content that kind of made me want to extend that,” Burns says.

Qori Broaster, KLN ‘15, met Burns at their freshman orientation. Although Broaster was an advertising major, she recognized that Burns could still provide her with invaluable professional inspiration, saying that Burns has “the craziest tunnel vision I’ve ever seen.” The two still keep in contact and Broaster, who owns a freelance graphic design business and is a partner at The Soze Agency, still believes Burns sets an admirable example for young professionals.

“I know whatever she does she’ll have every leadership role possible,” Broaster says. “But I do also admire Amber’s public speaking and her way of commanding attention no matter who else is in the room. So like if she’s among elders or people who are more experienced in whatever profession, you would hardly notice that she was different from them.”

Looking forward, Burns wants to continue to foster togetherness by inviting others to share their interests and passions.

"I just really want to continue to be an authentic community space for people, whether they're interested in my career journey, my reading journey, just like looking for a space where they can go and kind of find something that's not going to be keeping them up all night scrolling, or send them to find something that they can be really interested in or passionate about,” Burns says.

“That is my goal, just to continue to develop and pour into community. Because I think that if the last year has taught us nothing it's that community takes a lot of different shapes and forms and we definitely need to be able to rely on that. Even when we can't physically be together there are still ways that we can get that same connection.”