Born and raised in the Valley, Blake Zante is no stranger to Fresno State. He remembers coming to football games as a child and realized that Fresno State was the school for him.
“I live and breathe Fresno State. I’m really passionate about all of the things going on in this campus,” said Zante, a candidate for president of the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), “That sense of passion for this Fresno State community is something that I believe that I have that would really help me in that role.”
Zante said his motivation to run comes from the values he was taught as a child. His family always stressed to him the importance of being the solution to an issue, rather than being a bystander.
“Yes, it’s important to take care of yourself and motivate yourself,” Zante said, “But also it’s even more important to help other people and help empower other people and raise them up. Especially if they may not have the tools and resources to do that.”
Zante became involved as soon as he arrived at Fresno State. He was approached by former ASI president Moses Menchaca and was motivated to participate. He started being a part of an ASI committee, later becoming senator-at-large for resident affairs, and is now executive vice president.
Zante wants to continue being in leadership to advocate for the needs of Fresno State students. His main focuses, if elected, will be campus safety, food insecurity for students and making sure students are successful regardless of the political climate of our national government.
“Ultimately, we come here to learn. We come here to grow as people. And it’s really important that you feel safe while you’re doing that in that environment,” Zante said. “Those are the types of things I want to continue to address within the next year.”
Zante is part of a slate named “Students United,” along with Cam Patterson, Demi Wack and Josh Dowell. As a team, they hope to reach out and help different student populations on campus while instilling unity.
“What we’re about is making students a priority, first and foremost, but also we have a greater message of why,” Zante said. “We really want to emphasize bringing students together because we really believe that we should recognize the importance and strengths in our differences. But we should also emphasize what unites us and our common humanity.”
Never giving up is what Zante says sets up him up for the position of ASI president. He said he doesn’t give up easily when tackling problems that impact students.
“I have a really strong sense of determination, especially when it comes to helping other people,” Zante said. “I really do believe in continuing to try and try again at something until I get it right.”
