Rene Syler just finished taping an interview with Ray Romano. Her day started before 4 a.m. and it’s now shortly after 11 a.m., but she’s still going strong. Showing your morning face to millions of people would be a nightmare for most people. Syler does it five days a week.

The Sacramento State alumna can be seen every weekday morning as one of the co-anchors of the CBS morning show “The Early Show.” As part of Alumni Week at Sac State, she’ll attend and be recognized at the Distinguished Service Awards on Thursday at the Alumni Center.

“I can’t wait,” Syler, 43, said of the event. “It’s a whole different thing when people from your hometown are watching and rooting for you. It’s a great feeling knowing that they want you to succeed.”

The event has been a annual fixture at the university since 1987 and this year will honor eight alumni who’ve excelled in their fields. The staff at the Alumni Center has been working for quite some time to get things in order for this year’s event.

“This has been an entire year in the making,” Linda Scott, alumni events director, said. “A lot of it depended on her calendar, but she’s going to be doing a lot around the school that day.”

Throughout the day Syler will tour the campus. She’ll speak at journalism classes in the morning, attend the Associated Students, Inc. afternoon logo unveiling in the University Union and will meet with President Alexander Gonzalez at a VIP reception in the evening.

A track star at Del Campo High School, Syler graduated from Sac State in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and soon after started her broadcasting career. She held anchor positions in the small markets of Reno, Nev., and Birmingham, Ala., before landing a morning news anchor position in Dallas, where she stayed for nearly 10 years.-

She landed the job of a lifetime in New York as CBS revamped the morning show’s format. Syler was one of four new anchors introduced for the network program in October of 2002.

During her three and a half year tenure on the show, she has interviewed high profile personalities including first lady Laura Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. She competes against Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer everyday in an endless struggle for network ratings. But in spite of all the pressure of being on one of the largest stages in the world, Syler said it’s become second nature.

“It’s definitely not for everyone. There’s a lot of tension and pressure,” Syler said. “But I’ve been doing it for so long that now it’s just part of my DNA.”

Despite reaching the No. 1 U.S. television market, Syler hasn’t forgotten hard work earned her the seat where she sits every sunrise.

“I was putting myself through college, working at (TGI) Friday’s and living in a small apartment on Bell Street,” Syler said. “I had a lot going on and I really didn’t have time for anything other than work and school.”

Syler also recognizes her college career is not much different than most others.

“My college experience probably mirrors a lot of college students,” Syler said. She credited the quality of her professors for her achievements at the university. “I just remember I had great instructors there and wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

It wasn’t until Syler was enrolled in graduate school that she realized she wanted to report the news. But she’s learned being familiar with the human mind has its advantages when in front of the camera.

“It’s helped me stay sane,” Syler said. “The thing I try to impress upon people is that I felt like I got a well rounded education. Understanding psychology helps me understand people and their motivation when I do an interview.”

Her understanding of psychology has also undoubtedly helped her cope with her success. “I don’t see myself as famous. I see myself as a working mom,” Syler said humbly. “And I’ve done this job in some shape or form for the last 15 years, so I really don’t think of it as anything else but a job.”

Syler’s two children, 7-year-old son Cole and 9-year-old daughter Casey, are starting to realize mom’s job is surprisingly unique.

“Before they didn’t really even know,” Syler said. “They were watching ‘SpongeBob.’ But now that their friends at school realize what I do, they think it’s so cool,” she said.

Despite the hard work and long hours, one reason for her success is she’s just plain talented. She’s vibrant, lighthearted and has more personality in her pinkie toe than most people have in their entire body. While she doesn’t know where the coming years of her life will take her, she said all along it’s been about the journey, not the destination.

“We’re the sum total of our experiences. I don’t know where I’m going to end up because I didn’t plan to end up here,” Syler said. “And I like the idea that I didn’t plan for all the hills and valleys in my life.”

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]