Agricultural Business Alumnus Spotlight: Jose Cobos

 

Q: Why did you choose to attend Fresno State, and how did you pick your major?

“The most important facet of my life is family so naturally, I chose Fresno State and agriculture business and plant science to stay in the Central Valley where my family is. Bulldog born, Bulldog bred.” 

 

Q: When do you intend to graduate?

"I graduated in December 2023."

 

Q: What do you consider your hometown and /or where are you a native of?

“I consider my hometown to be Shaver Lake. This local city is an hour from our very own Fresno, California.”

 

Q: Did you have any other family members graduate or attend Fresno State?

“I will be the first one in my family to graduate from a four-year college.”

 

Q: Which classes & faculty members have had the biggest influence on you while at Fresno State and why?

“If I didn’t take AGBS 170WS with Dr. (Patrick) Berends, I would not be in the position I am today here at the Water, Energy and Technology (WET) Center. Dr. (Srinivasa) Konduru has also enlightened me throughout my upper division ag business courses. I have received undying support from him during my education here, and he is one of the reasons I enjoyed studying agriculture.” 

 

Q: Have you been involved with research on campus, and how will it benefit your career path?

“I haven’t been involved with any research directly, but I have coordinated research projects for the start-up companies that are in the WET Center community. This includes projects at the Center of Irrigation Technology on campus, “Farm of the Future” at West Hills-Coalinga and at Reedley College.” 

 

Q: Describe the research and issues it’s addressing?

“There is a wide variety of research that is being conducted through the WET Center’s testing and pilot demonstration program. Fertilizer, regenerative agriculture, irrigation systems and even energy storage is being coordinated here at Fresno State, Reedley Community and also West Hills-Coalinga Community.”

 

Q: What was your background in agriculture before you started at Fresno State?

“I didn’t have any prior experience in agriculture before Fresno State. I think that’s another reason I like working at the Water, Energy and Technology Center. It’s something different every day.” 

 

Q: Describe any internships you've done at Fresno State, and how they have prepared you for your career path?

“Working at the Water, Energy and Technology Center has been my only internship through school, and it’s the only one I needed! I started as the Pipeline Coordinator, which mainly consisted of outreach to new companies and attending events to represent the WET Center. I started to take initiative and delve deeper into how I, personally, can bring more value to the team. That is when I reached out to the farms at the community college level to create our T.E.S.T. program. It is designed to introduce the processes of technology demonstrations to our entrepreneurs, who can later leverage those into potential sales. After I exhibited my abilities of creating a program, I was offered the opportunity to facilitate even more programs, including our Valley Ventures Accelerator. We're accepting applications for our Cohort 8 starting in early 2024!”

 

Q: What’s your potential next career step?

“I have been blessed with opportunities to demonstrate my ability to help startups given by the Water, Energy and Technology Center. This has been my home for the past year, and I still plan to be here for a couple more.” 

 

Q: Have you overcome any challenges to get where you are today that have shaped who you are?

“I started out as a nursing major but quickly realized that I wasn’t passionate about that subject, which overall discouraged me to continue my education. I took a couple years to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I eventually came to the conclusion that agriculture and plant science is something that I would enjoy every day.”