Between working to achieve her master’s degree, moving up in her career field and creating a new resource for students on campus, this CSU East Bay alumna still finds time for herself and volunteer work.

Elysse Grossi was born in San Jose, but grew up in Redwood City, where she has lived ever since.

Both of her parents attended CSUEB and met on campus while they were attending as graduate students.

With no desire to go to a UC campus, Grossi chose to attend CSUEB in 2005.

“I visited my sister at UC Santa Barbara and saw the huge classes she had to sit in, never interacting with the professor and I didn’t get a good feeling about it, said Grossi. “For me, CSUEB was a great choice because it emphasizes a student-teacher interaction that I knew I would benefit from academically.”

Grossi earned her bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, with a pre-health option. She finished her undergraduate degree in only three years.

While working towards her undergraduate degree, she interned with the Peer Advocates for Wellness (PAW) Program at the Student Health and Counseling Services, and also at Planned Parenthood Golden Gate.

“I was able to network with the staff and earn work experience while finishing my degree in a related field,” said Grossi.

Grossi is now the Outreach Coordinator at the Recreation and Wellness (RAW) Center.

“I love the new RAW Center,” said Grossi. “Not only is my new office located in the building, I think it’s a great addition to our campus. I love that it is gold LEED-certified and incredibly eco-friendly, and hopefully our campus community will be motivated to get active and get healthy with the new services offered.”

Grossi is also the founder of the university’s Sleep Education Clinic in the Student Health Center. She started the clinics about a year ago in hopes to assist students in identifying triggers that contribute to sleep difficulties.

It’s nice to work at the same school where she is currently completing her graduate degree, Grossi says.

Grossi loves to cook, garden and ride, race and even build bikes.

She also paints, draws and loves to give back to her community by volunteering, she said.

Aside from working at the RAW Center, studying for her master’s degree and partaking in her many different hobbies, she still finds time to develop her own candy company.

Grossi and her best friend are working hard to establish their new vegan candy company called Sweet Cups.

When asked where she sees herself in five years, Grossi replied, “I’d like to see myself in either an M.D. program or working toward my Ph.D, and hopefully my new candy company will be successful.”