Holly Dickson
hollydickson.md@gmail.com
Of the past five Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) presidents, all but one are living in California and, so far, no one has gone into politics.
Kiyana Tabrizi 2011–12
Kiyana Tabrizi, the most recent ASI President, recently relocated to the Seattle area to work at Microsoft.
The political science graduate said she got the job with Microsoft because of the problem-solving skills she learned as ASI president.
“I don’t have a technical background,” she said. “But they were looking for people who are motivated to learn.”
Tabrizi, the only ASI president from the past five years who currently lives out of state, compared Washington’s rain to Los Angeles’ traffic.
“You expect the rain so much that it’s not that bad,” she said. “I think I brought California with me.”
Despite Tabrizi’s love for the Northwest, she said she misses everything about Cal Poly.
“I miss the comfort of Cal Poly,” she said. “But I’m excited to be a big kid.”
Sarah Storelli 2010–11
Sarah Storelli, an English alumna, lives and works in the Bay Area at Voce Communications, a global communication and public relations firm.
Storelli, who has worked there since graduation two years ago, works with clients such as NetApp.
But besides her career, Storelli is still so involved at Cal Poly with various advisory boards and as the Cal Poly Alumni Bay Area Chapter president that she ends up in San Luis Obispo twice a quarter, she said.
Whichever candidate wins the ASI election should be sure they listen to the students, Storelli said.
“ASI presidents tend to be the bold ones in the room and always have an opinion,” she said. “But always listen and try to get as much feedback from students as possible for each issue before making a decision.”
Kelly Griggs 2009-10
Kelly Griggs moved to the Bay Area right after graduation and has worked at Macy’s.com since then, first on marketing strategy, then as a producer of interactive media and now as a user experience architect, where she works on improving features on the Macy’s website.
The art and design alumna said she can channel her occasional nostalgia for Cal Poly through her involvement in the Cal Poly Bay Area Alumni Chapter.
Griggs advised students to take advantage of the opportunity to talk to ASI presidential candidates.
“Unlike our national elections and campaigns, people do have an opportunity to go and speak with the candidates,” she said. “You really don’t realize how much impact people in these positions have just through conversations they can have with people around campus, like the president.”
Angela “AK” Kramer 2008–09
AK Kramer, who lives in West Oakland and attended grad school at Mills College, said she still holds Cal Poly close to her heart.
“Cal Poly is my true love,” she said.
The political science alumna earned a master’s degree in education and has since put it to use by creating education programs, including an outdoor education program for middle schoolers, a sex education program for kids and parents and working as director at Camp Galileo — a camp that uses art, science and outdoor activities to encourage learning and innovation, Kramer said.
“I thought that was the best job I could ever have, (being ASI president),” Kramer said, “and now as a camp director, I have the best job I could ever have.”
Kramer advised Cal Poly students to stay in college as long as they can.
“Everything is else after college is less sparkly,” she said.
Brandon Souza 2007–08
Brandon Souza, the only male ASI president in the past five years, lives and works in Sacramento for a company called AdFarm, putting his agribusiness degree to good use, he said.
Souza said he’s enjoyed post-graduate life, especially the income, but he misses the feeling of making a difference on campus through ASI — such as overseeing the referendum to get the new Recreation Center built — and “the amazing energy” of San Luis Obispo.
“If I could go back, I think I would have cut the cable on my cable box and just soaked up everything there,” Souza said. “In all my travels with work, across the world, I’ve yet to find a place as amazing as San Luis Obispo.”