Thirty-five years ago, an acting professor at Sacramento State stopped Suzi Perri midsemester to tell her she would “never make it.”

The first time Perri walked into a Sac State theater classroom, she was an eager 18-year-old with a dream and a deep, husky voice.

“‘You have the worst voice I’ve ever heard,’” Perri remembered, shaking her head. “‘It’s too low, too raspy and you’ll never succeed in this business.’”

Perri went home that day in tears and made a decision that would steer her life for decades.

“I told my mom and dad, ‘That’s it. I’m switching to criminal justice,’” she said. “And I never took another acting class again.”

That one moment rerouted Perri’s career. She dove headfirst into law enforcement, becoming a police officer at 20 and going undercover by 22. Her work ranged from drug stings to human trafficking rescues, eventually leading her to become a special agent in charge with the California Department of Justice.

“I was this curly-haired Catholic school girl from St. Francis High, suddenly pretending to be a hooker in San Francisco,” Perri said. “Talk about culture shock.”

Perri waiting for the helicopters to pick her and her team up July 2022. They were previously dropped from a helicopter onto illegal marijuana growing on public lands. (Photo courtesy of Suzi Perri)

By the time Perri retired, she was supervising more than 100 agents and mentoring younger officers, especially women. Perri often confronted sexism in her career as an undercover cop in a male-dominated field. She recalled an incident in which a supervisor pointed his finger in her face and used a demeaning name, but Perri pushed back.

“The sexism was unreal. One boss literally stuck his finger in my face and said, ‘Look here, little missy,’” Perri said. “I slapped his hand away and told him never to call me that again.”

Perri believes that law enforcement remains a largely male environment, which she said makes it even more important for women in the field to widen opportunities for those who follow. When the adrenaline of undercover life faded and retirement was not fulfilling enough, an old dream returned.

“I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to have my reckoning,’” Perri said with a grin. “‘I’m going to prove that woman wrong.’ I’m the old mom in class, but I love it. I’m the rookie again.”

Because she already had a degree in criminal justice, her application for a second Bachelor of Arts in Theater at Sac State was denied. But Perri didn’t give up, and after months of appeals to Sac State Admissions, she was officially readmitted. Now three semesters in, Perri juggles rehearsals, homework and motherhood with the same focus that once kept her alive on the job.

“I go to class while my daughter’s in school,” she said. “Then I head to rehearsals at night. She’ll ask, ‘Mommy, do you have a show tonight?’ And I’ll tell her, ‘Yeah, baby, Mommy’s playing make-believe again.’”

Perri and her daughter on Halloween in October 2020. Perri dressed in her uniform and her daughter in a fake prisoner costume. (Photo courtesy of Suzi Perri)

Her years in law enforcement also sharpened her instincts as a performer. Perri said that working undercover required constant improvisation and quick thinking, some skills she now brings into the classroom.

“You had to act your way through it to survive. I’ve bought meth in bars with a gun shoved down my pants. Memorizing Shakespeare is easy compared to that,” Perri said.

Casey McClellan, a Sac State lecturer who teaches voice and movement, said that Perri’s intensity shows. McClellan described Perri as laser-focused and said her willingness to push herself gives her a level of grit that stands out in the classroom. McClellan said her “life well lived” adds an emotional weight to all of her performances, something he considers impossible to teach.

Perri’s classmates said they see the same qualities as McClellan. Junior theater major Shayra Zeledon said Perri is one of the most dedicated students in the program, always asking questions and staying ahead on assignments so she can help others when they’re struggling.

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“You’d never guess she was an undercover cop,” Zeledon said. “I admire her so much for coming back to study what she loves and doing it all while being a mom.”

Senior theater major Stephanie Bravo said meeting Perri changed her assumptions about who works undercover. Bravo said she always pictured agents as “big, tough men.” However, seeing Perri, who Bravo describes as warm and quick to joke, showed her that courage doesn’t come in a single form.

Bravo said she considers Perri the steady center of their theater group, that she has a natural ability to guide others and often mentors others without even realizing it.

“She’s our constant reminder that anything is possible,” Bravo said. “She’s a sun on a gloomy day.”

Zeledon also said Perri brings that same kindness outside of class. She described Perri as a true friend, someone who can dive into lighthearted conversations about dating one moment and offer support the next. Whether classmates need advice, a hug or just a conversation, Zeledon said Perri is always the one who shows up.

Her classmates said Perri’s story proves it’s never too late to begin again. Now balancing classes and parenting with her work as an adjunct law enforcement instructor at American River College, Perri sees her journey as a lesson in second chances.

“In law enforcement, courage meant staying alive. On stage, courage means being vulnerable, trusting your team, letting go of control,” Perri said. “I want to teach how performance, empathy and observation can save lives. Those skills aren’t just for theater, they’re for humanity.”

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Perri hopes to finish her degree, sign with an acting agent and one day teach a course that bridges her two worlds, acting and undercover work. After everything she’s done, Perri said she still lives by advice from her father.

“My dad always said, ‘Don’t stare in the rearview mirror. Look through the windshield,’” she said. “You can’t move forward if you’re always looking back.”

She smiled, her raspy laugh that irrevocably changed her life all those years ago rolling through the air.

“All the world’s a stage,” Perri said, quoting Shakespeare. “And I finally get to play my part.”