Ed Cosio designs student-athlete's playbook

Southwestern College athletes represent us on the field, in the pool and on the court, but the one who represents them on campus is counselor Ed Cosio.

From football to cross country, the coaches have referred athletes to Cosio, with good reason.

"From the moment of orientation he'll be in his office until 10 p.m.," said cross country head coach Dr. Duro Agbede. "He'll see them with out an appointment, even if he's busy."

Since Agbede has been here Cosio has provided athletes with unconditional support, he said. What started as a favor to him blossomed into a very successful partnership that has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

Athletes go to him for help and tell him where they want to transfer. Cosio tries to make it happen. He said he wants athletes to finish their requirements and transfer to a university, possibly a division one school.

"I do the easy part and the students do the hard part," said Cosio. "They're really not different from other students."

He said he is no different from other counselors, they all want to see their students succeed. The only thing he wants is for them to know they can go to him for help. He emphasizes to athletes the importance of keeping their grades up, not just to play but also to graduate and transfer.

"I stress and tell them they're student athletes not athlete-students," said Cosio. "It's nice to see them continue on. My goal here is to have people achieve their goals."

Cosio enjoys helping athletes because his three kids are athletes. His oldest son plays roller hockey, his other son plays lacrosse for Bonita Vista High School and his daughter plays soccer for Bonita Vista Middle School. He did not play school sports due to his bad knees.

Growing up as a child in the Castle Park area, Cosio said he remembers how he struggled in school. Cosio attended Castle Park Elementary, Loma Verde, Palomar, Castle Park Middle School and Castle Park High School. For college he attended to SWC, UC Santa Barbara and the University of San Diego.

Cosio held a variety of jobs before he became a counselor. During high school he worked at a submarine sandwich shop and auto brokerage. As a college student he was employed by a tropical fish store and a peer advisor at SWC.

When Cosio is not in his office until 10 p.m. helping students he is coaching his daughter's soccer team, spending time with his family and "canine buddy" and gardening.

Cosio said he want athletes to have a support system.

SWC right infielder Julio Torres said Cosio knows exactly what classes students should take and is a good guy who supports the athletes.

"If I can lay the foundation the first semester they're here and give them the right classes, they can realize they have someone to talk to or they have question I can answer and feel comfortable," said Cosio. "The bottom line is I love the job, it's a great job."

He said he is uncertain if he has had a big influence on students but sometimes students come back and tell him that something he said or did pushed them in the right direction, and that is what makes the work worth it.

"Ed Cosio is a legend around here," said baseball head coach Jerry Bartow. "He has always helped out my players."