I first met Dr. Joseph I. Castro on a warm August evening in 2014, when Vasco Cordeiro, then President of the Government of the Azores, visited Tulare. Joe and his beloved wife, Mary Borges Castro — herself a proud American of Azorean ancestry — attended the banquet that evening. They carried with them a gift of Fresno State’s finest agricultural products for President Cordeiro, a gesture of generosity that deeply touched the Azorean leader. It was more than a gift; it was a symbol of the bridges Joe and Mary would spend their lives building between cultures, communities, and generations.
For me, that evening marked the beginning of a friendship rooted in vision and shared dreams. Together, we began working toward a relationship between Fresno State and the University of the Azores, supported by the Tulare–Angra do Heroísmo Sister City Foundation and the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD). By 2017, this dream was realized when an agreement was signed, a milestone that forever tied the Central Valley to the mid-Atlantic islands.
This was Joe’s way: bold, forward-looking, never content to accept limits. He believed that by opening doors, opportunities could blossom for all. Mary was always by his side — supporting, encouraging, and sharing in the mission. Together, they embodied partnership not only in life but in service.
The bridges Joe helped construct did not stop there. Only a few years later, through his leadership and his belief in the unique contributions of our community, he and now-President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval invited me to create and lead the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI). In February 2019, PBBI was inaugurated in the presence of Vasco Cordeiro, who returned to Fresno State not only as a statesman but as a friend — never forgetting Joe’s generosity and dedication.
Without Joe’s vision and courage, PBBI would not exist. He understood that institutions of higher learning could not be confined to classrooms or borders; they must reach across oceans, histories, and identities. He ensured that PBBI became not only a center for Portuguese and Azorean studies, but also a living bridge connecting North America and the Atlantic. Years later, as Chancellor of the California State University system, he remained committed to this mission, even writing a letter of support to FLAD in which he reminded them of the uniqueness of PBBI in the entire CSU system.
Joe’s leadership was not limited to Fresno State or the Azores. His life’s work was education — the most powerful tool for breaking cycles of poverty and building opportunity. Born and raised in Hanford, in the heart of the Central Valley, he knew firsthand the struggles of marginalized communities. From those beginnings, he became Fresno State’s first Latino president, a landmark moment for the Valley and for countless students who saw themselves reflected in his journey.
At Fresno State, he called on us all to “Be Bold!” — a motto that defined his tenure. Under his leadership, graduation rates improved dramatically. Fresno State became recognized nationally as a leading engine of social mobility. Yet Joe’s legacy is not measured only in numbers. As Darius Assemi wrote of him, “He didn’t just achieve this for himself — he built the path and made it possible for anyone with a dream to follow in his footsteps, to change their life trajectory, overcome challenges, and rise from poverty.”
In 2021, he became Chancellor of the California State University system, overseeing the largest four-year public university system in the nation. His leadership extended beyond policy — it was grounded in empathy, in his insistence on keeping an open door, in his ability to make each person feel valued. He understood that students from immigrant, working-class, and minority backgrounds needed more than opportunities — they needed champions. Joe was and is that champion.
California is a mosaic of cultures, and Joe embraced that fully. He celebrated diversity not as an accessory, but as the very heart of education and progress. He understood that the Central Valley, with its immigrant roots and multilingual traditions, could be a model for the nation. His support of the Portuguese-American community, his advocacy for first-generation students, his attention to marginalized voices — all of these flowed from the same conviction: that no one should be left behind.
His commitment to family and friends is equally strong. Those who know him, even briefly, often speak of how he made them feel as if they were the most important person in the room. This was not performance, but authenticity. He carries with him a generosity of spirit that touches people in ways both profound and lasting.
In a Valley that sometimes closes upon itself, Joe brought openness. On cloudy days, he brought sunshine. In moments of despair, he brought hope. His door was open, literally and figuratively, and that policy changed Fresno State forever.
On a personal level, Joe changed me. I saw in him a beacon for this Valley — a leader whose influence reached far beyond his office walls. His vision helped shape institutions, but more importantly, it shaped lives. Mine included. He allowed me to dream boldly, to build PBBI, to connect cultures across the Atlantic. For this, I remain deeply grateful.
The Valley is better because of Joseph I. Castro. His vision will ripple outward for generations, touching lives he will never meet, and shaping futures yet unborn.
As Joe now receives care in the tender hands of hospice, my thoughts and prayers — and the prayers of a grateful Portuguese-American community — are with him and with Mary, whose love has always been his anchor. We are with him and his entire family.
Maya Angelou once reminded us: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Joe made us feel seen, valued, and inspired. He made us feel bold enough to believe in possibility.
And in the words of the great Portuguese poet Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen: “Aqueles que passam por nós, não vão sós, não nos deixam sós. Deixam um pouco de si, levam um pouco de nós.” (“Those who pass by us do not go alone, and do not leave us alone. They leave a little of themselves, and take a little of us.”)
Dr. Joseph I. Castro continues to leave much of himself to all of us — in the institutions he shaped, in the communities he lifted, and in the countless hearts he touched. His light will never fade. It will guide us still — across the Valley, across the Azores, across every place where boldness and love are needed.
Novidades - The Islands and the Diaspora 