I met Congressman Jim Costa for the first time back in May at the Maddy Institute Summer Intern orientation. I had been accepted to intern for his Washington, D.C. office that February, and was excited for the opportunities to come. 

Upon meeting him, I noticed he had a strong appreciation for Fresno State, and in particular, The Collegian. This made me feel proud of the publication, and even more so, being represented by a Bulldog at the national level. 

Costa is currently the only member of Congress who is a Fresno State alum. While this may seem like a little fun fact for some, it shaped my perspective on his efforts to give back to the university. 

“I have a sense of pride,” Costa said when I mentioned he was the only member of Congress from Fresno State. “I hope other [Fresno State graduates] have tried; it’s not easy getting elected to Congress.”

Costa was a senior at Fresno State when he landed an internship in Congressman B.F. Sisk’s office, noting the experience as something that “changed the trajectory of [his] career.” 

Thirty years later, Costa gave an endowment to The Maddy Institute, launching the Costa Scholar Washington Intern program, which I was fortunate enough to be a part of. 

“In terms of paying it forward, I wanted to try and give an opportunity for other Fresno State students to have the same opportunity that I had,” Costa said. “That would create students to move on and do bigger and better things and help people in bigger ways.” 

Since 2003, there have been 58 Costa scholars who interned in Washington. One of the 58, Lucca Lorenzi, is a Fresno State graduate who was a part of the Media, Communications and Journalism Department. 

“What was really big for me was that his office was very notable in helping my grandfather receive VA (Veterans’ Affairs) assistance for his Parkinson’s,” Lorenzi said. “That instance in his office helping my grandpa was this great example of one of the ways our representative system works for us.” 

Lorenzi said that experience led him to want to intern for Costa’s office.

“I wanted to be that person for someone else,” Lorenzi said. 

Another Fresno State alum who interned for Costa was Aidan Garaygordobil, who did press for the office last fall. 

Garaygordobil said that he was in Washington during a busy election season, but that Costa always made time for younger people in the office. 

“He was very welcoming to the interns, and that was something I was not expecting,” Garaygordobil said. “He is just a very normal guy.”

While Costa’s interactions with the interns exemplified his passion for internship programs, his contributions to Fresno State go beyond. 

Costa is currently a cosponsor of the American Dream and Promise Act, which is a proposed law that would incorporate parts of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) into federal law. Fresno hosts around 5,000 DACA recipients.

“I think any time you provide university students with support, you’re investing in their future and the future of America,” Costa said. “That was my primary purpose for cosponsoring that legislation.”

While speaking about efforts in supporting Fresno State students, Costa mentioned how the late Fresno State President Joseph Castro helped Costa with investing in students. 

“Working with President Castro on developing a partnership with the University of the Azores and with the Punjab Agricultural University is a way of developing bridges and connecting with other universities in other parts of the world,” Costa said. “I think that’s important for every university student to have that shared experience.”

Costa also helped create the California Agricultural Technology Institute, which is based at Fresno State and serves to improve California’s agriculture. He also said this helped Fresno State develop a water institute. 

“Water is such a critical part of our state from the standpoint of our economy and how it has impacted the growth of California over literally decades, and [it is] obviously critical for agriculture,” Costa said. “Having the university have its own water institute, given the critical importance of that resource issue, is something that I’m very proud of.”

One of Costa’s biggest contributions to the Valley was securing $35.4 million for Head Start services in Fresno and Tulare counties. Head Start programs are educational and developmental services offered to low-income families. The program serves students from birth up until they are 5 years old. 

Costa viewed the Head Start contribution as a way of creating the next generation of Fresno State students, along with helping families in need. 

“Head Start has the secondary benefit of allowing a lot of parents to provide some child care as they try to provide income so that they can raise their families,” Costa said. “It is an essential advantage for students entering grade school to begin to develop learning skills. I’ve been a big believer in Head Start for years.”

Garaygordobil mentioned that Costa has brought grants and funding to the Valley, but that he needs to appeal more to students. 

He also mentioned that his fraternity brothers didn’t seem to know who Costa was, prompting Garaygordobil to reflect that Costa is not as well-known as he should be with Fresno State because some students may be politically unaware. He said that Fresno State’s politically diverse campus plays a part in why students are not as outspoken on politics as on other campuses.

“It’s not that he doesn’t have a legacy, it’s just that he has a legacy with older people,” Garaygordobil said. “Anyone under the age of 25 or 30, they’re not gonna care or know.” 

Lorenzi appreciated Costa’s choice to go to Fresno State and stick to his roots, which Lorenzi said solidified his own choice to pursue a career in the Valley. 

“I think often times, people disparage the Valley and talk about how they want to get out and get away, and that the opportunity was somewhere else,” Lorenzi said. “Whereas Jim Costa is in every way ensuring that he is an example that the opportunity is where your home is, in the Valley and in the people who make up our communities.”

While reflecting on how much Fresno State has changed since he graduated in 1974, Costa felt proud of the diversity of the campus and the amount of Bulldog pride. 

“I see students that reflect the mosaic of our Valley with a great sense of pride,” Costa said. “The majority of our students are the first in their families to go to college, and I have a sense of pride for them being able to do something their family has never done before.”