REMARKABLE WOMEN: Amanda Strandburg serves others through dedication to community, country
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Throughout the month of March, WTAJ is honoring remarkable women who've made a positive impact in their community.
Whether she's wearing a crown or camouflage, Amanda Strandburg, who was named Mrs. Pennsylvania International 2025, represents poise and purpose while inspiring others through her dedication to causes greater than herself.
'This pageant system means the world to me because it's about your platform not just about beauty,' Strandburg said. 'So, it's about what you're doing in your community.'
For Strandburg, serving others doesn't stop at home as she's devoted years to protecting her country.
'I'm one of 42 women that are worn officers in the state of Pennsylvania for the national guard which is like 1% of the 1% serving,' she said.
Dedicated to helping others, both in and out of uniform, Strandburg's mission of service recently expanded to providing support for other servicewomen.
'One day I saw a post from one of my prior female soldiers and although she's full-time military she was stating that she couldn't afford to buy her kids back to school supplies and that kind of started a fire in me,' she said.
With that newly ignited passion, she decided to host a back-to-school drive to help others facing similar obstacles.
'Giving back to the community and showing them that you care and that you understand what they're going through or you know you're that helping hand I think that's vitally important,' she said.
Last year, Strandburg started the non-profit 'Her Boots' to continue those efforts, and she recently partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars to create care packages for a women's veterans conference in state college.
'It's the fastest growing demographic in the military is our women vets,' Amy MacKenzie of VFW Women Veterans Chairperson of Pa. said. 'We're very happy to be here both while they're serving and when they come out.'
'Creating that community, that connection, so they don't ever feel alone, and they can find solace in other female veterans because we do experience a lot of the same things,' Strandburg said. 'There are many different obstacles in military life or their civilian life.'
For Strandburg, it's about keeping the conversation going and getting female veterans the services they need.
'Female veterans are actually 2 times more likely to have PTSD and they're 4 times more likely to commit suicide than male veterans,' She said. 'So, I think that's a call to action and that's where we need to step up.'
Strandburg continues to step up through her many roles in life as a soldier, non-profit leader, donor and coach to show others that your actions are what define you.
'Pageantry has given me the courage to actually put my nonprofit on the map. It has opened me up. I'm kind of an introverted person. It has given me the confidence to be like, 'I'm going to do this and I'm going to do it now,'' She said.
She hopes other women takeaway the same message: there's no limit to what you can do.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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