March 15, 2008

California senior Alli Szutu will make her final appearance at Haas Pavilion for the Golden Bears when Cal hosts a quad meet for Senior Day this Sunday at 2 p.m. Szutu sat down with CalBears.com to discuss this weekend's meet and her plans for after graduation.

CalBears.com: How much more emotional will this meet be for you since it's Senior Day?
Szutu: Well I'm already scared for the slide show that they show at the end of the meet. I was in tears last year for our seniors, so I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel this time around.

CalBears.com: What's been your favorite Cal gymnastics memory?
Szutu: My favorite Cal memory would have to be from last year at Davis. Our team was able to capture the second-highest team score in Cal history and I remember how much fun the meet was and how proud we were to finally put all of our hard work together. The feeling was unexplainable.

CalBears.com: How challenging has it been being one of the veteran leaders on the team and not being able to compete much this season?
Szutu: It's been really hard and frustrating, but I also know that my team still needs me emotionally, so I try and bring as much energy and encouragement into the gym as possible.

CalBears.com: What made you decide to be a social welfare major?
Szutu: I like working with people and I believe that there are a lot of problems within our social system, so I hope to be a part of the change I would like to see.

CalBears.com: What are your post-graduation plans?
Szutu: I'm really looking forward to traveling after graduation. Doing gymnastics for so many years hasn't really allowed me to travel and stay abroad for more than a few weeks, so I plan to get out of the country for a while. I would really like to study Spanish in Spain or South America.

CalBears.com: How did you enjoy your trip to China in 2000?
Szutu: I loved it. It was really interesting to see how another country lives. I went on a three-week tour that was a little hectic, but it enabled me to see many different parts and treasures.

CalBears.com: How would you like to see this season come to an end?
Szutu: I would love to see our team qualify for regionals. I really feel that we have the potential and capability to really be a stand-out team. The girls have been working hard and I would love to see their hard work pay off.