Dennis Morgigno

"This is the story of how I lost my girlfriend," Dennis Morgigno quipped. "I was up at 5 a.m. to work on the Daily Collegian and then worked until 10 p.m. I was working three nights a week at the station and still not making enough money to quit selling shoes on the weekends."

As a Fresno State journalism student, Morgigno was busy. He served as the editor of "Insight," a weekly newspaper published by the journalism department, and later became the editor of the Daily Collegian, Fresno State's independent school newspaper.

Morgigno said scholarships helped him immensely while he was a student.

"[Scholarships] definitely allowed me to focus more on my studies," he said. "Had it not been for those scholarships . . . I'd have been working outside of school a lot more and not had the opportunity to be the editor of the Collegian, be the editor of the Insight, to write the spec story that got me the internship at the Merced Sun-Star."

"Morgigno is now paying it forward in the most impactful way," said Faith Sidlow, chair of the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism at Fresno State.

"This place is very special to me because it created the foundation for me to make the mistakes that I needed to make before I went and got a job. And I didn't make those mistakes there. And I was very successful in my career."

Now retired, Dennis and his wife, Jennifer Stone, actively support Fresno State and San Diego State through donations and scholarships.

"My wife is a San Diego State graduate, and so we give to both schools because we firmly believe in giving people the opportunity to get that education. It's informed our lives," Morgigno said. "When you give somebody that opportunity and they flourish, for us, there's no better feeling."

"This scholarship helped me further my education, and it is because of Dennis' generosity that I am able to pursue higher education," said Chelsi Braudrick, Morgigno Scholarship recipient.

"Dennis's ongoing connection to the department is truly inspiring," said Sidlow. "When accomplished alumni like Dennis return to share their experience, time, and support, it creates a powerful sense of continuity for our students. It helps them see what's possible and reinforces the value of the education they're receiving. Dennis brings both generosity and authenticity. His presence reminds our students that the path from Fresno State to a successful career is real and achievable."

So far, two Fresno State students have directly benefited from the Dennis Morgigno Scholarship for journalism students, and a third student has been chosen for next year. In addition to the scholarship, Morgigno donated to help upgrade the failing video switchboard in the Fresno State Focus television studio.

This post is an abbreviated version of an article originally published by Benjamin Kirk on the College of Arts and Humanities blog. You can read the full article here.