Stories inspire us. They connect us. They inform us of all the wonderful things — and sometimes challenging things — happening at the Fresno State campus that holds a special meaning to so many in the Central Valley and beyond. Stories are how we relate to one another, and oftentimes stories spark us to take action. This year, in selecting the top stories, we focus heavily on Fresno State Magazine and a few other pieces of big campus news.
At a time when community support is critical to the future of the university, the past two issues of the magazine focused on demonstrating the value of Fresno State. The magazine shared an imaginative glimpse at what the Valley would look like without the university, while also sharing the “Faces of Fresno State” human-interest stories of some alumni and students making an impact in the region.
At Fresno State, stories create a bond between thousands of alumni, friends, students, prospective students and other community members.
Here is a glimpse, in no particular order, at the editor’s picks for the top 23 Fresno State stories of 2023 — this year with a special emphasis on stories from Fresno State Magazine.
Imagine the Valley without the Bulldogs
Ever thought about what the Valley would look like without Fresno State? Where would the teachers come from? The nurses? The businesspeople? What about law enforcement, elected officials and media? Who would educate and prepare the engineers?
Where would the food come from that you ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner? What would the entertainment scene be like without Fresno State athletics? Would there still be pride in the Valley without the “Pride of the Valley?” Have you ever truly thought about what the region would look like without its
flagship university?
Did you know? Fresno State football is averaging 40,213 fans per home game,
which leads the Mountain West and ranks No.1 in the nation among all Group
of Five institutions.
Education: Training the Valley’s future educators for 112 years
When C.L. McLane was superintendent of Fresno city schools in the early 1900s, he experienced firsthand the difficulty of recruiting teachers from other cities and keeping them from leaving. That reality led to Fresno State’s founding in 1911 as a teacher’s college to attract students from the San Joaquin
Valley who would be more likely to stay and put down roots in the region.
Today, Fresno State has consistently been among the top three public universities preparing the most K-12 school teachers in California.
Super Intentions: New Clovis superintendent leans into lessons learned as Fresno State student-athlete
Connections run deep for Dr. Corrine Folmer. From her ties to Clovis Unified School District to her history with Fresno State, the past, present and future of Clovis Unified’s newest superintendent are tightly woven together into the fabric of both institutions.
Four generations of her family have received their education from Clovis Unified, including her two daughters — one in middle school and one in high
school. She was one of the early graduates of Buchanan High School, where she competed as an athlete. While at Fresno State, she played soccer for all four years of her undergraduate education on a scholarship. And she didn’t even start out as an education major.
Inspired by brother’s health scare, chemistry student is determined to overcome
A serotonin molecule structure tattoo on his right wrist summarizes Marvin Cornejo’s attitude toward life — optimism and resilience. Serotonin is a brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and various functions in the human body, contributing to feelings of happiness and well-being.
“I got [the tattoo] as a reminder of my love for chemistry and my path toward medical school,” says Cornejo, a senior chemistry major at Fresno State. But despite his positivity, Cornejo’s path to Fresno State was paved with challenges that would make most give up.
Health Care: Alumni bring life to Valley’s health care desert
Dr. Danielle Campagne can’t help but become emotional when asked about the health care shortage in the Central Valley. Born and raised in Sanger, her
family knows firsthand the pain of lacking access to quality care. “My grandfather was injured in an accident on our family farm and was taken to a rural medical center where there wasn’t a doctor on duty,” says Campagne, her voice catching in her throat. “I never got to meet him, and maybe he would have lived had a doctor been there.”
It was that family tragedy that convinced Campagne, interim chief of emergency medicine for UCSF Fresno and Community Regional Medical Center, that she would someday become a doctor.
A New Way to Serve
Cynthia Gomez watched – poised for action – as a military helicopter carrying people rescued from a Sierra forest fire touched down near the Fresno
airport. Hastily-mounted lights pierced the darkness of the September night and revealed scores of first responders – military personnel like Gomez and others – moving quickly to help evacuees from the 2020 Creek Fire.
“I remember exactly how I felt that night,” says Gomez, now a Fresno State student aiming to become a nurse who cares for veterans. “It was a sense of
pride, and I was really happy that I was able to do my part.” That desire – plus ambition to keep moving forward in the health care field – led Gomez to a
crossroads in 2022.
Agriculture: Valley’s leading industry backed by region’s leading ag college
This is the region that feeds the world. More than 300 different crops are grown in the Valley, with an estimated value of $17 billion per year. Though the
region encompasses fewer than 1% of U.S. farmland, the Valley supplies 8% of U.S. agricultural output — producing a quarter of the nation’s food, including 40% of the nation’s fruits, nuts and other table foods.
Its people, many who have been rooted on this rich soil for generations, exude dedication and grit when growing the food that ends up in refrigerators and pantries around the world. Many of these people got their start at Fresno State.
Three Generations of Bulldogs
When Joseph Fraga was a young man working for Ernest and Julio Gallo in Modesto, his bosses gave him a choice that changed the direction of his
family tree for generations to come. Fraga wasn’t a vice president, but he and his wife, Maybelle, were invited to Christmas dinners with the Gallos and the company vice presidents at the Gallo home. Seated to the right of the company founders, Fraga was chosen to give the blessing before the meal. After
Fraga had been with Gallo for a while, Ernest Gallo gave him a choice.
“They wanted me to go to either Modesto, San Francisco or Fresno,” all locations where Gallo had offices, Fraga says. “I told him I would have to go to
Fresno because that’s where Fresno State is.”
Engineering: Graduates fuel forward-thinking workforce
Fresno State engineering graduates have gone on to lead some of the world’s most iconic technological developments – including the B1-B bomber,
deployed during the Cold War, and Bluetooth, the wireless data technology still widely used today.
With an average of 300 engineering graduates per year, many of whom remain in the Valley to live, work and serve, the Lyles College of Engineering at
Fresno State educates the region’s workforce. Most recently, alumni have played significant roles in regional projects like the California High Speed Rail and technologies that support agricultural operations and local infrastructure.
Pride of the Valley: Athletics unites and engages alumni and fans like nothing else can
Brandon Eachus remembers exactly when he started going to Fresno State football games. It was 1993 and the Bulldogs were coming off an unforgettable season capped by a dominant Freedom Bowl win over USC in Anaheim. Eachus’ grandparents, avid Red Wavers Ken and Kay Scheidt, took Brandon and his brother Randy with them to a football game.
The Eachus brothers enjoyed it so much that eventually their grandmother started buying them a family four-pack of season tickets each year for
Christmas. When the boys turned 16 years old, they organized a tailgating group for family and friends – and it has become a family tradition through
generations.
Art of the Game
Eduardo Andre never shies away from a blank canvas. From country to country, state to state, he’s kept his faith, embraced fresh starts and created works of art – whether it was with a paintbrush or a basketball in his hands.
“I come from a family of athletes and artists,” Andre says in his British accent, a small hint at his journey. Standing 6-foot-11, Andre had a breakout junior season last year as the center on the Fresno State basketball team.
Bulldog Spirit: Rolling Out the Bulldog Bred Carpet
Darrell Copeland III was overflowing with Bulldog Spirit – and it showed with his bedroom décor, full of Bulldog swag and even carpet featuring the four
paw logo. He graduated from Fresno State in 2009 with a degree in media, communications and journalism (public relations) and was determined to use his talents to help elevate the brand of his alma mater. But, in 2011, at just 25 years old, Copeland died unexpectedly while playing recreational softball with his close friends.
Inspired to keep Copeland’s memory alive and leave a legacy at Fresno State, his parents and friends raised about $90,000 — through softball tournaments, holiday craft boutiques and in-kind donations — to create two scholarship endowments in his honor.