Poppi might be known for its fun, fizzy flavors, but for Penn State alumna and Associate Influencer Manager at Poppi, Lauren Wysseier, the brand represents the power of creativity, career choices, and a connection back to her alma mater.

Originally born outside of Philadelphia, Wysseier’s Pennsylvania ties ran deep, even though she spent her childhood growing up in Fort Myers, Florida. Excited at the possibility of a clean slate, new experiences, and trust in the memories and stories from her father, she took a leap of faith and decided to come to Penn State.

Starting as a Biobehavioral Health major, Wysseier eventually switched into journalism and then public relations. Quickly finding her footing in the communications world, she was involved in various organizations, but credits a lot of her writing growth to her time with Onward State.

“I can think back to going to the Irving’s basement for my interview, being so nervous. And then I ended up getting into Onward State, and at the first social, I met my future roommate,” Wysseier explained.

As friendships formed and the foundation of her collegiate career took shape, Wysseier discovered Poppi during COVID-19 as people began eating healthier and finding unique food alternatives. She immediately recognized the brand as an impressive pillar in the industry and a fun drink that popped off the shelves.

Junior year rolled around, and she began to search for a pivotal summer internship. Over spring break, she designed a customized Poppi-themed resume on Canva that featured her skills and strengths as a way to build up her portfolio.

Little did she know, the unique resume would soon go viral on LinkedIn for her creativity and catch the eyes of Poppi. The brand hopped on a call with Wysseier, and soon after, offered her an internship that she largely got to make her own. Her marketing internship gave her experience in all facets of the field to help determine which she liked best.

Following her graduation from Penn State in 2023, she returned to Poppi in a full-time role within the influencer team. On a day-to-day basis, she helps to manage all of the creator campaigns from start to finish. This includes negotiations, contracts, and execution of all macro and micro influencer interactions, assets, and mailers.

She also manages the ambassador program and logistics for VIP events and guest lists. From Poppi Mart in Los Angeles to Poppi World at New York Fashion Week, Wysseier has managed attendee lists for close to 1,000 people, working to coordinate out-of-this-world experiences for influencers and promote Poppi’s product.

Wysseier has had a front row seat to watch Poppi grow from a small, healthy soda brand to a worldwide sensation, especially with the recent Pepsi acquisition.

“I’ve been with Poppi for four plus years now, and it’s wild because it blew up so fast. To go from it being so small to being acquired by Pepsi is wild. It’s a crazy acquisition in just five years of the brand existing; it’s unheard of,” said Wysseier.

Even on a team scale, the company has increased exponentially with new roles and structures over the course of her time there, with its core values and mission staying the same.

“Everyone is so passionate about Poppi, so everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get something done at work. It’s super fun along the way, too; it’s not a typical corporate environment where you leave work behind at the end of the day. Poppi is kind of a part of everyone’s life, no matter what,” expressed Wysseier.

Poppi made its way to Penn State for the brand’s second year of the college tour. This year’s tour is titled the “Poppi Major Flavor Tour,” and Wysseier described the tour as a way to “make Poppi accessible to students and bring the Poppi experience to campuses.”

Aside from Happy Valley, the tour stopped at Spelman College in Atlanta on October 17, the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville on October 23, and will end at Indiana University in Bloomington on October 30. Each stop features a special talent guest, with Penn State’s being Amaya Espinal, or “Amaya Papaya,” from Love Island USA Season 7.

Amaya was a perfect fit for the “Flavorverse” that took over State College, with the recent launch of her custom Poppi can, Amaya’s Island Colada. The event marked her first meet and greet experience, and Happy Valley showed her nothing but love with handwritten letters and cheers.

Amaya led a cheer of her own during the event, with Wysseier teaching her the “We Are” chant as she went on stage. Wysseier was particularly excited about this collaboration because of how well Amaya embodies the bright, bubbly, and authentic nature of the brand.

“It’s a match made in heaven, and it resonates with her audience as well, which is great and the sign of a great partnership. To see it come to life at my alma mater and how happy she was, like she was literally crying tears of joy, was so special, so that has to be my favorite collaboration for sure,” Wysseier said.

As for Wysseier’s role during the college tour, she handles all talent logistics to ensure the talent has everything they need along the way to make the event a success. With her hands and schedule full of Poppi, Wysseier also took a moment to soak in how full circle putting on this event in her college town was.

“I had my first call with my now boss in my apartment that was right across the street from Champs, I got my full-time job offer in that apartment, and I did my entire internship in that apartment. To think that I used to order Poppi off of Amazon to be delivered there and now to be taking over a bar on campus with Poppi, it’s so crazy,” Wysseier said.

Wysseier described the event as a peak moment of her career, going from telling people about Poppi as a college student going to Champs on a Thursday night to now running an event there.

“I was walking up to Champs on the day of the event, and I looked over to my old apartment and there was a massive Pepsi truck in front of it. It felt like a sign from the universe that I was on the right path,” said Wysseier.

For her first visit back to Happy Valley since graduation, Wysseier made sure to hit all of her favorite spots, including her old dorm room in Snyder Hall and walking through the dining commons, where she spotted Poppi in the market. She hit up Irving’s, Cozy Thai, and Elixir, which all held special memories and moments for her.