Proud to Lead, Gamboa Hopes She Isn't the Last
Softball player becomes first-generation grad with backing of her family
Mike Brohard
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The diamond taught her how to anticipate. Think ahead with a pitcher in the box with a 2-2 count. Even her own coach.
Occupying the hot corner, Corina Gamboa most definitely knows how to react. Life can come at you at the speed of a screaming line drive, so you better be alert.
In December, she found herself in Moby Arena, in cap and gown, something she really wanted to do as a first-generation college graduate. She was spot on in taking the chance to walk early, though the why was something nobody could predict.
“From past experience, I know we would be on the road a lot during graduation week, so I took the chance to do it ahead of time if in case I wasn’t able to,” Gamboa said. “A lot of my family came out. I think there were like 20 of them there. Having them there was an awesome feeling, because they were there with me through the process. Just being able to see me there at the end result was a great feeling.
“Just that day, getting ready, I was super excited. It’s the mindset, wow, you did it. You went through sleepless nights, early mornings, some stressful times and you got the result you wanted.”
She was just about to hit high school when the idea of college really started to take hold. Collegiate softball coaches start watching players when they’re in eighth grade, taking mental notes and keeping a watchful eye on prospects. Gamboa definitely was one, playing for the Firecrackers in the Chino, Calif., area.
Each passing year, her talent grew, as did the prospects of playing in college. It was a door to another dream of hers, becoming a nurse. At the time, she knew there were no college graduates in her family, let alone nurses. In true Gamboa fashion, this would not become a personal project, but a family one.
She was going to need help, noting her and parents Rodrigo and Teresa, were all going into the college search somewhat blind.
“It was important to them. For a long time, I specifically wanted to be a nurse, and for that you need schooling,” Corina said. “It was important to them to get me here so I could be living a dream in the future. My mom went to college, and she got pregnant. She had a little bit of the college experience, and reflecting on that, she was able to share her advice with me and how she wished she would have continued. To be able to get that advice has helped in just striving to even go to college and get a degree, finish it and do something with it.”
Colorado State head coach Jen Fisher enjoyed getting to know the family during recruiting, and in those meetings, she could pick up a few tells. Corina had a bit of both of her parents in her, and as the time has passed, she can see it more and more.
When the Rams are out in California, the Gamboa clan is out in full force. Not just the immediate family which includes three other sisters, but the extended branches of the tree, and Fisher loves watching the interactions to this day.
“Corina has always been very comfortable, very respectful and very disciplined. I think her parents … I think she was a very good girl growing up,” Fisher said with a laugh. “She did what her mom said, and her mom and dad have both been a great influence on her life, but especially her mom as far as go to school, work hard and make something of yourself. We tease her mom a little bit, but I bet they were in by curfew and the homework was done. Her dad, I think she gets her sense of humor from him, so she doesn’t take herself too seriously.”
Maybe not as a person, but as a student-athlete, she was very much down to business.
Corina started 46 games as a true freshman, a total which has grown to 169 in her career. She grew into her role quickly, hitting better than .335 in each of the past two full seasons, hitting at a .292 clip in the shortened 2020 campaign to earn All-Mountain West honors for the first time. While she wasn’t all-conference in 2019, she was all-region after posting 15 doubles, 24 extra-base hits and slugging at a 587 clip with 42 RBI. Her 42 career doubles place her tied for sixth all-time at CSU.
Majoring in human development and family studies, she has earned academic All-Mountain West honors every year to this point, and was a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete in 2917 and 2018.
I was able to hear them, and I was able to spot them easily. Like I said, there were like 20 of them, and they got pretty close so they could take pictures. They were screaming pretty loud, and having that eye contact was awesome, too.Corina Gamboa, Softball Player
Teresa is one of six children who have produced 22 children of their own and 14 great-grandchildren for her mom. They are a big family, and very close. But when she was growing up, college wasn’t something which was discussed, and she said the normal route was to graduate high school and join the workforce.
As years pass, so do outlooks. Corina became involved with softball at the age of 5, and soon was playing travel ball. The Gamboa weekends were spent on the road, and as Teresa said, if one person is involved, the whole family is drawn.
As her talent grew, it became clear Corina was going to have the chance to play in college. How she ended up at Colorado State is still somewhat of a mystery.
“It was stressful for me and my husband, because we didn’t know what we were doing,” Teresa said. “We’d take her to visits, meet with the coaches and take everything in and then we’d regroup. It was challenging for us, but at the same time, it was exciting.
“She said she didn’t want to go out of state, so we told her coaches at the time, why waste their time?”
Enter Fisher and a trip to Fort Collins, and somehow, the idea of staying close to home wasn’t the only option. The whole family had a good feel about it, actually. The cons were naturally discussed. If Corina had a problem, she couldn’t hop in the car and drive home. The family support she still draws on to this day wasn’t going to be as readily available.
Still, she found a way to get through those rough times, a bad test, an awkward interaction on campus. A cell phone is a wonderful devise, making mom just as close as she has ever been.
“I would call her almost every day,” Corina said. “She basically went through college with me, even if she wasn’t physically there. I would tell her about my day, my struggles, whatever it was.”
When it came time to move to Colorado State, mom and dad naturally came. So did her sisters. In fact, Teresa remembers about 15 family members moving Corina into her dorm room. Looking around that day, seeing parents, maybe some siblings, she wondered if they had overdone it a bit.
Not at all, Fisher said. To see the Gamboa family together is a wonderful sight.
They wouldn’t see as many of her games, but the trip to San Diego State last season had the home crowd in question. Text messages shot out, and before Teresa knew it, Corina and the Rams had a bit of a home-crowd feel.
“We get out to the West Coast a lot, and she had aunts, uncles and cousins – and a lot of younger ones, as well – come out and watch her,” Fisher said. “I think she’s a wonderful role model for those kids.”
Fisher would watch Corina after games go out and hug every single one of them. She would thank them for coming. She played with her cousins, and she took her younger sister, Sophia, on the team bus. She was with family, and the Rams adopted them, as well. When Corina’s cousins made the trip out for graduation, she gave them a full tour of the CSU facilities and campus, with Fisher’s blessing.
Being back in California, family creates the silver lining for finishing her undergraduate degree at home. Teresa said they are all respectful of the quiet time Corina needs, but she’s also aware of what family needs, especially those young cousins.
For them, she’s become a role model, a responsibility she values as much as her degree.
Two of her younger cousins now play with the Firecrackers, and with practice shelved due to coronavirus, they need to unleash their energy. So does Sophia on some days. So they asked Corina to coach them.
They play catch, or she does soft-toss drills, even hits grounders. Every now and then, she hears a bit of Coach Fisher coming out in her instruction to them. They’ve seen her play collegiately, and that has shown them doors can be opened.
“They asked me to help them field, because of how the virus is taking over and they can’t practice with their team,” Corina said. “They came to me and asked if I could coach them during this time. Just even when I’m with them, they ask questions about college, how does it feel to be playing. They tell me they dream of that one day, and they hope to kind of follow my footsteps.
“It’s fun for me. I’m with my family.”
Teresa has heard from the uncle how lucky his girls are to have Corina around as an example. Somebody has to be first, Teresa said, but they don’t have to be the last. She’s glad Corina stepped forward, knowing her daughter will encourage others to pursue passions, whether it is college or not.
Corina was giddy in December. She dressed up and did her hair, extremely excited about what the day represented in not only her life, but that of her family. She took her seat with her classmates and waited for her name to be called to walk across the stage. When it happened, her personal cheering section took over.
“I was able to hear them, and I was able to spot them easily,” Corina said. “Like I said, there were like 20 of them, and they got pretty close so they could take pictures. They were screaming pretty loud, and having that eye contact was awesome, too.”
She just couldn’t stop what was next. The smile smothered her face, the emotion so raw and pure it radiated, proud to be the first in her family to earn a college degree. Those voices she recognized so clearly had always been there, encouraging her along the way.
One day, she hopes to return the favor, loud and proud.
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