President Joseph I. Castro often urges us to be bold! But what does being bold look like during particularly challenging times like the situation we are currently facing?

In his latest video message (taped in the Peace Garden), Dr. Castro provides recent examples of the resiliency and creativity of our students, the flexibility and innovation of our faculty and staff, and the leadership of an alumnus as he leads the public health efforts in Fresno County.

For additional perspective, President Castro’s video message also looks briefly back 100 years in our University’s history — to 1918 — when Fresno State closed the campus for a month during the fall semester as the country endured the historic flu pandemic of that year.

Being bold isn’t about being loud or boisterous. It’s what we do, what we say and how we act, especially when we are faced with adversity. Thanks to our collective resiliency and ingenuity, based on a foundation of perseverance and knowledge, we truly know what it means to be bold.