If you find yourself at the Larkspur, Sausalito or San Francisco ferry terminals and you end up needing help from a Golden Gate Ferry operations supervisor, you may very well be speaking with Suzanna Adamova.
Suzanna Adamova is a Golden Gate Ferry casual operations supervisor. Born in the Ukraine, she speaks four languages and loves helping people find their way on the ferry.
BY MATT LARSON
Published: March, 2018
If you find yourself at the Larkspur, Sausalito or San Francisco ferry terminals and you end up needing help from a Golden Gate Ferry operations supervisor, you may very well be speaking with Suzanna Adamova.
Adamova has been a casual operations supervisor since last summer, after working her way up from an administrative position. Her new role has been a fitting change for Adamova because when it comes to working with people, she just can’t get enough.
“I consider myself a people person,” Adamova said. “Some people like to sit at their desk and live in the computer. I like to communicate. It’s just me.” Adamova feels that it’s a wonderful thing when a stranger can help another stranger, and every day she looks forward to getting thanked by someone she’s helped. “When they come back and see you the next day, or a month later, and they say to their family, ‘That’s the person that helped me!’—that’s the best thing.”
Communications really is her thing, especially since she can speak four languages. Born in the Ukraine, Adamova’s first language was Russian. She also learned to speak Ukrainian. While she’s Ukrainian by nationality, she’s Assyrian by ethnicity. When her parents won a green card lottery that brought her family to the United States in 2002, they first settled in Turlock, where there’s a high population of Assyrian speakers. That’s where she learned to speak Aramaic, which is the primary language spoken by Assyrians. And then, of course, English kind of comes with the territory.
Now living in San Francisco, Adamova is proud to be working for Golden Gate Ferry. She had about five years of experience in the corporate world before beginning as a temp with the ferry service, and the differences between the two jobs are pretty profound. “The corporate world is all different; people will walk on top of you as long as they can benefit,” she said. “Here at Golden Gate, I feel it’s more like family. People are more caring, I trust my coworkers and feel comfortable sharing with them.”
Adamova graduated from San Francisco State with a degree in international relations. “I was always interested in working for either a public agency or nongovernmental organization,” she said. Unfortunately, when she graduated in 2009, the economy was in a deep recession. “Slowly, somehow, I got into the corporate world and honestly thought I would never return into the public sector. But now, I’m happy here and I see a future with Golden Gate.”
While speaking with tourists and commuters every day is Adamova’s expertise, speaking on a stage in front of a large audience is not. She also has a fear of heights. Most people would let these fears continue for the rest of their lives, but not Adamova. “I push myself, because we have to always move forward,” she said. “We can’t grow unless we overcome our fears.” So for performing on stage, she joined a dance company; for her fear of heights, she repelled down Mount Ramon when visiting Israel. Next? Hiking up Half Dome at Yosemite.
Of course, when making a change, support also plays a big factor. “I want to say thank you to my boss and my coworkers,” she said. “I was an admin, but they saw potential in me. They suggested for me to apply for the supervisor position, they encouraged me, believed in me, and helped me grow as well.”
Adamova highly recommends ferry transit. “It’s the most relaxing public transport service,” she said. “You don’t see cars around; you just see water, and it’s very calming.” If you happen to see her, ask her for fashion advice, one of her favorite recipes, or for help maintaining your household plants. She’s also looking to learn yet another foreign language, so keep that in mind the next time you say hello, or ciao, or shalom!
