Two Fresno State students, Jazzmine White and Jose Luis Negrete, know firsthand the importance of giving back. Though they come from different parts of the Valley — White from Fresno and Negrete from Firebaugh — both are drawing inspiration from the generations before and after them as they prepare to graduate alongside their children on Friday, May 16.
Now, they are paying it forward as part of the Humanics Students4Giving Project, helping award $33,000 in grants to three local community benefit organizations focused on youth services, restorative justice and racial and economic justice. The celebration will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, May 12, at Gazebo Gardens (3204 N. Van Ness Blvd.) in Fresno. Doors open at 5:40 p.m., and light refreshments will be served. RSVP at bit.ly/HumanicsS4GRSVP.
White and Negrete, both graduating seniors in the College of Social Sciences, are completing the “Philanthropy and Grantmaking” course (Sociology 183S) through the Humanics Program. Since 2007, the Students4Giving Project has engaged more than 435 students and awarded nearly $308,000 to 50 different organizations throughout the Valley.
While both began college in the 1990s, life took them in different directions. They raised families, worked and postponed their education — but never gave up on it. This grantmaking course, they say, offered a powerful opportunity to reconnect with their communities and be part of something larger.
“As parents, you pour into your children for so many years. Now we have the opportunity to focus our giving on the broader community to help contribute to the next generation,” Negrete said.
White’s inspiration comes from her mother, Carol Bishop, a Fresno State alumna who was a vocal advocate for minority students in the 1960s and ’70s. Bishop served on the university’s Educational Opportunity Commission and Ethnic Studies Commission, coordinated the Educational Opportunity Program’s Summer Institute and worked as a counselor and tutor. After graduating in 1972 and earning her master’s, she became a changemaker in West Fresno.
“I was really proud of her,” White said. “My parents were both very smart. They started a chess club in West Fresno and a library in Bigby Villa. They ran special programs for young people on the westside.”
Negrete was inspired by the graduation of his eldest daughter, Deamber, from Fresno State in 2021 — a postponed ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the event, philanthropist Lynda Resnick announced a $1 million fund encouraging graduates to volunteer with local organizations. That moment sparked Negrete’s goal of graduating with his youngest daughter, Josette, and giving back through service.
All three — Jose Luis, Josette and Jazzmine — will walk in the College of Social Sciences commencement at 1 p.m. Friday, May 16, at the Save Mart Center. White’s daughter, Jadora, a liberal studies major, will participate in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development’s ceremony later that evening.
Both White and Negrete say the Humanics Program provided them with personal growth and professional purpose, recently attending a four-day fundraising conference in Seattle with classmates and their professor.
“The opportunities Humanics has provided to connect with social entrepreneurs like Gerry Bill at Dakota EcoGarden, Scott Miller at Gazebo Gardens and Zach Valle at Fresno Metro Ministry have been tremendous,” Negrete said. “I have felt both empowered and humbled while giving back to my community.”
This year’s Students4Giving grants include:
- Truly Reviving Our Youth (The T.R.O.Y. Center) – Awarded $11,000 for its three-phase youth engagement model (Reach Out, Lift Up, Plug-In), supporting underserved neighborhoods in Fresno. The organization was founded in 2017 by Fresno State alumnus Nicholas Butler.
- Fresno Skateboard Salvage – Awarded $11,000 for its restorative justice efforts. The organization, founded by Rodney Rodriguez in 2017, collaborates with incarcerated artists to repurpose skateboards into art, with proceeds funding gear for local youth.
- Valley Voices – A Hanford-based organization receiving $11,000 for its “New Citizens Program,” which assists and financially supports Kings County residents completing the naturalization process.
“Our unique, project-based approach to learning in the Humanics program helps develop exceptional leaders, enhanced organizations and enriched communities,” said Dr. Matthew Ari Jendian, founding director of Humanics.
“This grantmaking course prepares students for a career in the sector by helping them build relationships and connecting them to a lifelong community of alumni and local organizations,” added instructor Adrian Gomez, a program alumnus.
For more information, contact Eva Lopez at eva_lopez@mail.fresnostate.edu or 559.647.5870.
