Sydni Thompson
Atlanta native Sydni Thompson knew coming to Georgia State was the best choice for her. The proximity to her favorite soft drink company, along with maintaining a family tradition, kept GSU on her mind. As she pursues a marketing degree, she’s hoping to take advantage of opportunities throughout the city to uplift small businesses.
Interview by Zohra Basmadjian
Tell me about yourself and how you got to Georgia State.
I am a sophomore majoring in marketing.
I have a very green thumb. I have a lot of plants — about 30 that I take care of all at once. In my free time I like to make earrings, bracelets and necklaces. It’s just a little hobby I picked up over time.
I ended up at Georgia State because my whole family went here. I’m the third to go. My cousins went before me, and I spent my childhood coming up to Georgia State because they would babysit me.
Why did you choose to major in marketing?
I took a sports marketing class in high school, which introduced me to the field. My teacher worked for Coca-Cola, and hearing about his experience in marketing intrigued me. I liked that you didn’t have to be athletic or anything. You can just use your creativity.
What internships have you held?
Last summer, I did an internship with Cravewell Juicery & Café. As a marketing intern, I learned what makes a brand stand out. I worked on creating content for Instagram and TikTok, such as graphics and videos. One of my favorite experiences was helping with the events. I loved connecting with people face to face and sharing the story behind the brand. I also learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes, such as using analytics to tweak campaigns and figuring out what resonates with customers. It was a rewarding experience that taught me how creativity, teamwork and hustle can make a big impact.
What is your dream company to work for?
My number one right now would be Sephora. I want to do product marketing for them. That would be so much fun. My second would have to be Coca-Cola because I love everything they make.
How has Georgia State prepared you for success?
My courses — specifically business communications — have taught me the specifics of resumes and ethics. They are useful in guiding me in the internship process, and they taught me how to speak for interviews and what my resume should look like. They also help me revamp all my resumes and make sure that I’m hitting the key points.
What is a lesson you’ve learned in college?
The college experience is not what you see in the movies. It’s not like where you go out every weekend and have the best time of your life. It’s a lot more studying than I expected. It’s more accountability and responsibility — since you’re basically on your own.
What impact do you hope to leave on the world?
I hope that I can help guide companies with their marketing, making sure that local companies are getting their brand identity out and showing customers what they have to offer so that the industry isn’t mainly conglomeration based.
There are smaller businesses that may be a little bit more expensive but have higher-quality items that still meet your needs. I think that’s important and I want to be able to show people that.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
To work for a company doing product marketing and some type of market research, and then own a marketing company and marketing for local companies in Georgia.
