SSO Payroll Supervisor Marcie Cushing shares her story of realizations, persistence, and achieving self-appreciation. To break a family cycle, she willed herself to change, face challenges, and become an example.

Marcie, you come off as very even keeled, possessing a silent courage. Did you develop this or is it just who you are?

This is something I’ve been told my whole adult life, and I’m not exactly sure where it comes from.  As a child, and into my adult life, I have always been painfully shy, almost to the point of it being problematic.  I had to pull myself out of that during the transition from teenage to adult years, and build that courage.  I knew that if I didn’t overcome that fear, I would continuously get passed over in life. I felt nobody was going to notice me because it would seem as though I didn’t have a voice, or opinions.  At the same time, I never wanted to be someone who would talk just for the sake of talking. I want what I say to make sense, be relevant, and have an impact.  To this day, in meetings you’ll find I’m typically in the background absorbing, digesting, and formulating my thoughts, then I’ll speak up when I have something relevant to contribute to the conversation. I think this is where the calmness and even keeled personality shows up. 

What shaped you, and by default, your career?

I had my first job at age 16, handing out chicken samples at Chick-fil-a at the local mall. I worked all throughout high school to have the luxuries, and some necessities, that teenagers wanted. I was the first person in my immediate family to receive a high school diploma and have a formal graduation. I've always had a deeply self-motivated side, and didn't allow my challenging upbringing to deter me from what was a very important goal for me at the time. I had two younger siblings I felt I needed to set an example for.  College was never talked about in my family - we were steered more toward working, and supporting ourselves, so that was the route I took after I finished high school.

I’ve been very fortunate to have had great opportunities throughout my career and work with some amazing people. At the same time, in every position I have held, I have always strived for more.  In my early 20’s, I worked for a great female business owner named Connie, which catapulted me towards the path of working in finance and administration. I literally had no experience in finance at the time, but she saw something in me and took a chance. I was hired to do accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll for her small fulfillment business in Napa. This was my first exposure to payroll and P&L statements, and I picked up working with numbers very quickly. Numbers interested me and I continued to grow off that work until I landed on payroll as a primary career focus. 

Connie was highly influential, and a role model to me:  a successful female business owner, very much hands-on, down to earth, and didn’t manage with the “I’m the boss” mentality. She wanted to coach and teach me, not just about work, but also about life. That had a huge impact on me, especially coming from a home life which lacked that, at times. Looking back, even though I only worked for her for three years, her influence was foundational, and very much impacts my approach as a supervisor today.  

Talk about developing your sense of self 

I think many things have contributed to developing my sense of self. Having a challenging upbringing developed my self-reliant side. I've had some pivotal moments as an adult which shaped me, and made me dig deep into who I am, and who I want to be. I believe life is a continual process of reinventing one's self, in response to changing circumstances. I lost my Mother in my early adult years, and that was a life-altering loss. Turning 40 was another pivotal time; a milestone that had me thinking about life in general. I had spent much of my focus being a wife and mother, and with my kids now being on the brink of adulthood, it was time to focus on myself, and my career. I had to discover who I was as an individual, and what I was passionate about. I started to make my health a priority, and discovered a love for running and yoga, and started a wellness journey. Since that time I have completed numerous 5ks, 10ks and 12ks across California. Today I am very confident in what my passions are, and am happy to spend this second part of life being completely comfortable with who I am.

What's your career timeline at UC Davis?

During my time of self-development, I was feeling career stagnation at the company I was working for. The company work culture was not in line with my core values. I made the decision to pursue new opportunities, and was fortunate to be hired at UC Davis in July 2014. This summer will by my 10-year anniversary!  I was hired into Central Payroll, where I loved the work I was doing, and stayed for nine years. After four years, I wanted more of a challenge, but opportunities were seldom due to a smaller team with low turn over.  It was apparent that not having a formal education may hold me back from greater opportunities, so I developed a plan to career-path to the next level. In 2018 I enrolled to pursue my bachelor’s degree in accounting, which I completed in June 2022. This led me to my current position as Payroll Supervisor at the Shared Services Organization, since July, 2023. 

How do you keep life interesting?

I like to be out doing and experiencing new things, and living life to the fullest. My husband and I have a passion for traveling and seeing new places. I just travelled to Bali, and it was a trip of a lifetime: one of my favorite experiences was visiting a holy temple and participating in a water purification ritual around prayer and blessings. I was among people from all over the world, and experienced one remarkable moment of clarity, where I had to stop to take it all in. All I could think was, “look at where I am now.” As a young girl, I would never have dreamed I’d be traveling across the world to such a beautiful place. It was a highly spiritual and emotional moment for me. I have many places on my bucket list and hope to keep checking them off for as long as I can.   

What would you tell that young girl?

I would tell her to keep dreaming, even if it seems unattainable. Keep setting goals, and if you get derailed, it’s okay. Just keep moving forward. Life is beautiful, and you are not defined by where you came from, but by where you are, and where you are going. Everyone has a story, embrace yours and make it your driving factor. I would also tell her to enjoy the ride, don’t take life too seriously, and laugh A LOT! Finally, I would have her to memorize a Maya Angelou quote, which has become my favorite in adulthood: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” I feel like this sums me up very well.