Freshman Michelle Suarez of Oxnard, California has some bigs dreams for her next four years at Cal Lutheran. When she’s not out hiking, working out, or visiting theme parks, she’s catching up on the latest trends and styling people in preparation for her goal of one day opening her own boutique. You can also find her hanging out with her family of seven, which includes her twin, or planning out her next travel adventure. Michelle loves big cities, especially Chicago and San Francisco, and would love to go to New York. Read on to learn a little more about Michelle and her goals!
HCCLU: What’s your major and what made you decide on it?
MS: Business Administration with an Emphasis in Marketing. I want to make my own business one day. I’ve always liked the idea of marketing for brands and stuff like that so that’s how my emphasis came to be.
HCCLU: What do you think of CLU so far?
MS: I had been on campus before and I knew that I liked it, especially the class sizes. I can get one on one with professors. You get to know every student in your class, and the professors get to know the students well.
HCCLU: Even though it hasn’t been a month yet, which class would you say is your favorite so far?
MS: Communications because every time we step into class, we talk about the current news; like movies, or anything media related, we start talking about and it fascinates me. We communicate as people and how the media works. It’s really interesting because everyone has their own opinions especially when we talk about politics.
HCCLU: What would you say has been the hardest adjustment from high school to college?
MS: I don’t think it’s completely hit me yet. I think that has a lot to do with the class sizes. I would say that the hardest thing has been waking up; no one tells me to go to class or to do my work, I have to do it by myself. I am becoming an adult and I have to do it alone.
HCCLU: Do you plan to get involved in any clubs or sports throughout your time here?
MS: Probably not sports. I am thinking of possibly joining LASO. I’m already part of Student Support Services. I guess I just want to be in clubs that are in my liking, so I’ll be looking into them.
HCCLU: Who inspires you the most in life and why?
MS: My mom. Growing up she didn’t have a lot, her parents died when she was young. She’s always been a hard worker; she’d always go to work with her sister when she was younger. From finding jobs in the fields, working with flowers, she’d just always be working. She stopped working when I was born, but she did go to nursing school. From a young age, she always pushed me to do my best and to graduate from college one day. She has inspired me to do more than I probably would have.
HCCLU: What are your plans for the next four years?
MS: School, traveling, having fun, and just growing my mentality through the business life and field. I guess I’m going with the flow and whatever happens, happens.
HCCLU: What’s your life motto?
MS: Everything happens for a reason. I have gone through so much in life that I just stuck with that quote, things happen because of something. Whether it be for you to grow stronger, or to put you in a position to be a better person.
HCCLU: What’s your future goal?
MS: I want work with businesses before I open my own through trending fashion. With that, I want to open boutiques in my local area because I feel that we don’t have that many. Instead of people shopping online, I would want to be one on one with them and get to know their styles. Getting to style those people as well, not just having them buy from me. Another goal would be to travel around the world, especially going to Santorini. I also want to go to the World Cup after I graduate college.
Photos courtesy of Michelle Suarez.