BHS Alum Overcomes Obstacles on Road to College Graduation

As college graduation approaches, many students’ sense of celebration is coupled with an awareness of the challenges ahead. For one soon-to-be grad, however, his academic accomplishments are made more significant by the challenges behind him.

Burlingame High School alum Andrew Suvunnachuen graduates from San Francisco State University Saturday after a year of overcoming health and personal obstacles.

Suvunnachuen, who began his athletic career as a 5-year-old in Little League, played catcher for the San Francisco State Gators baseball team. His health issues began before this past season, when an MRI revealed a tear in his elbow.

Uncertain if he’d be able to play his final year, he recovered, but was sidelined before the beginning of this season by a knee injury. He returned to baseball in February, but again hurt his knee and sprained his ACL, once again taking him off the field.

In the midst of dealing with his injuries, a family tragedy struck—Suvunnachuen’s mother passed away in December.

He was left with the challenge of coping with the loss of his mother and recurring injury while continuing on with his job in the Athletics department and completing classes.

“Baseball really helped me get through that…focusing on what I love and dedicating everything to her and just working hard in the classroom and trying to graduate,” he said. “I learned a lot about myself. It was tough, but I persevered through it.”

His perseverance paid off, and on Saturday, Suvunnachuen will walk with his classmates, the first in his family to graduate from college. After graduation, Suvunnachuen plans to visit New York and Thailand, his mother’s native country, which she fled during the Vietnam War.

“It will be nice to see what it’s like over there,” he said. “And get some time away, because I’ve always been playing baseball since I was five in the summer, so I’m looking forward to that.”

However, his summer travels won’t signify the end of the road for Suvunnachuen and baseball. He plans on coaching baseball in the future, and, as a Communications major, hopes to get an internship with the San Francisco Giants in the public relations department.

“Baseball is obviously really important to me,” he said.

Suvunnachuen moved from San Francisco to Burlingame when he was a freshman in high school for the education opportunities and baseball program. He played baseball and football at BHS, earning the title of football team captain.

He remembers his time in Burlingame fondly.

“It’s a great community," Suvunnachuen said. “I met some great people and great families that I’ve had great times with and will be my best friends forever.”

Suvunnachuen said he feels good about his upcoming graduation, and knows both his accomplishments and those of his middle brother, who is close to finishing his degree in Exercise Science at Long Beach State, will make their family proud.

As for advice he would give others attempting to make it to graduation while dealing with personal struggles of their own, Suvunnachuen said the important thing is not worrying about the big picture too much, but taking life step by step.

“You just have to take it one day at a time,” he said. “It’s not how far you have to go, it’s how far you’ve come.”

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