Alum Christine Costamagna Connects Tennis With the Special Olympics

The paralegal certification that Christine Costamagna ’90 earned from Saint Mary’s not only opened the door to a successful career in legal services: She believes it also helped pave a rewarding path to volunteerism ranging from Special Olympics to the top echelons of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in English, the San Rafael resident decided to pursue a legal career, and at the time, Saint Mary’s was one of the few colleges in the United States with an accredited paralegal program.

That has led to a 30-year career with Bank of America, the past 22 years as an assistant corporate secretary. Costamagna credits BofA with supporting volunteer work among its employees.

“Without the paralegal certificate, I’m not sure I would have gone on to work at Bank of America,” she said. “My company also supports volunteerism, which has allowed me to be as involved as I am.”

In addition to coaching Marin County’s Special Olympics tennis program and high school tennis, Costamagna has held many leadership roles with the USTA. She currently is chair of its Adult Competition Committee.

She has forged new opportunities for disabled athletes with USTA, including helping to create the Unified Doubles National Championships. The tournament pairs able-bodied coaches and players with Special Olympics athletes at the 100-court USTA national campus in Orlando, Fla.

“It’s so much fun to see their faces when they show up on the campus for the first time,” she said.