Suzannie

Name Suzannie Marshall

Graduating From: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Degree: Industrial Technology and Packaging

https://www.cob.calpoly.edu/itp/ 

Future Plans:  Going to work for Pepsico after graduation

https://www.pepsico.com/ 

My first thoughts were:  Oh sweet - two weeks of spring break!  And then when we found out they were closing campus my thought was oh my roommates are going to go back to the bay area and I’ll have the whole apartment to myself!

Some of the emotions I experienced when this all started:  It was out of my control so I tried not to spend too much time thinking about the reality of “I’m not going to see these people ever again” and “I’m not ever going back to the lab again”.  I honestly don’t remember my last day at the lab.  

How I was affected: I had an internship lined up and then the COVID quarantine happened and I was able to graduate early (I was supposed to graduate in the fall). So I contacted Pepsico and things worked out for me to get a full time position rather than the internship.

One difficult thing was: The thought that I’m not going to see these guys again (who I went through school with at Cal Poly).

What was most important to you with regard to celebrating graduation:  Taking my graduation pictures.  My mom and I went to campus and took them.  Aside from that, it just seems like the connections with our classmates we’re graduating with we can do on a zoom call because our concentration is small.

Something I’m noticing:  Without the “big graduation day” where you’re with family and classmates and this crowd of people and you spend the whole day immersed in the celebration of this turning point and stepping into a whole new part of life, it just doesn’t feel real.  Like I’m moving in a week, but in my mind, “I’m not graduating”, “I’m not moving”, I’m not doing anything”... “I’m just packing these boxes and then in a week I’ll take everything back out of them again”.  It just doesn’t feel real.  It feels like pretending.

Lori’s Summary:  I met Suzannie during a photo shoot I did for Industrial Technology at Cal Poly on March 9th, just before all the changes occurred and it was fun to see her come out her front door when I arrived for her Graduating At Home appointment and we both said “I know you…”  Suzannie is very down to Earth and comes across as practical and pragmatic.  I bet she’ll do great at Pepsico and I wish her the best!