This has become my life’

Upon first meeting Zach Martinson, one would not predict the magnitude of this man’s ambition. Strolling the halls in an old Blues Brothers shirt and wallet chain, Martinson has a lot on his mind. 

Martinson serves as State Affairs Director for ASPSU, where his life is consumed by rallying for student rights.  Originally a transplant from Alaska, he has always enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors.

“I spent my entire time as a kid kayaking up near glaciers that sadly don’t exist anymore,” Martinson said.

In what little free time he has away from his work with ASPSU, Martinson still enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, rafting and even tries to scuba dive, when possible. An avid music fan, he attends shows whenever possible, and even plays a little bass guitar.

Don’t let Martinson’s laid-back exterior fool you. The majority of his time is devoted to student government and getting students to vote. This has always been an important issue for him.

“One of my first experiences going to the Capitol, a legislator told me if you don’t vote, you don’t exist, in their opinion,” Martinson said. “Honestly, in a time when you’ve got the top 1 percent of the world controlling the world, and them controlling over 40-percent of the wealth, it’s more important than ever that we use the only resource we have, which is voting.” 

With his guidance, Portland State was responsible for registering more than 20,000 new students to vote in the 2008 election—nearly one sixth of the total school-age voters in the state.

“It was hell for a little while, I mean, that’s kind of the nature of a campaign. It kind of starts out slow and then it just gets so crazy that you’re lucky if you know what’s going on,” he said.

Spending countless hours canvassing the Park Blocks and encouraging students to register, Martinson does not belittle the importance of the student vote.

“If we really are these ‘United States’ then we better have a damn say in it,” he said.

Activism has always been an important part of Martinson’s life. He served on Darlene Hooley’s campaign at the age of 16. Part of his enjoyment comes from meeting new people through the process of “door-knocking” for campaigns, as well as canvassing and making phone calls.

“This has become my life,” he said. “I mean, a lot of people get really intimidated by it, but it’s something that I love. There’s nothing better than hopping down to the park blocks and having some good conversations.”

In the future, Martinson has ambitions that involve his love of activism, as well as his passion for helping students, even after his graduation this summer.

“Higher education is something that I’m highly passionate about. I didn’t really bloom till college,” Martinson said. “This is really where I found my feet, so I would really like to continue making sure that other students can continue to do the same.”

After graduation, he is hoping to find a position with the Oregon Student Association, as they have given him a great deal of aid and guidance. Aside from that, he has a great desire to go to law school, possibly for a degree in environmental or corporate law. 

“My recent dream has been to help third-world countries to fight globalization and to stop American companies from exploiting them,” he said. “It’s kind of a big goal, and I don’t even really know how to even get started.”
While Martinson doesn’t necessarily encourage all students to devote themselves so fully, he does ask for some participation. 

“The only thing I always tell students is just come get involved,” he said. “The more stories we have, the more victories we have.”