Redondo remembers Zach Zent
Zach Zent at the University of Michigan. Photo courtesy the Zent family
Zach Zent cut a linebacker’s swath through life — bold and focused, with a hunger to live that made him unafraid of the rough and tumble and even the pain that increasingly became a part of his days.
Zent died on May 25, after a ferocious, six month battle with the rare, lethal form of cancer known as sarcoma. He had battled another painful illness, Crohn’s disease since he was a junior at Redondo Union High School.
Zent, who graduated in 2012, was captain of the football team and an extraordinarily gifted student at RUHS.
Shannon Rodriguez, director of College Academic Counseling at Redondo Union High School, taught Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics and Macroeconomics. In three decades as an educator, Rodriguez never before or since encountered a student like Zent.
“Often he would come to class in tremendous pain. He would never complain, but I knew he was suffering,” she said. “I would offer assistance, but he always refused. He never made excuses. Zach just worked harder than everyone else. I have been an educator for over 25 years and I have never met a student with such courage and determination.”
The teacher found herself learning from her student.
“Even facing such adversity, Zach knew how to laugh,” she said. “He taught me and everyone he knew to never give up. He earned our respect as an academic, an athlete and for his tremendous resilience. My Zach has left his footprint on my heart…. I love that kid so much. He’s been an inspiration to so many people.”
Zent thrived in spite of his painful challenges. As a junior at RUHS — even as he lay in the hospital bed at Cedars-Sinai after doctors had removed part of his intestines in an operation meant to address the aggressive form of Crohn’s he suffered from — Zent was awarded the Ivy Chain, an honor reserved for the cream of the academic crop. As a senior, he was named captain of the football team.
Coach Gene Simon saw Zent excel as a junior on the football field and then still manage to contribute as a senior, despite the physical toll Crohn’s took on the young man.
“Basically, Zach was programmed for success with the work ethic, passion, toughness, and family support needed to reach the loftiest goals,” Simon said.
“It’s all about willpower,” Zach said in a 2013 Easy Reader story about enduring Crohn’s Disease. “There are a lot of times when you’re just sitting there, figuring, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this,’ but then you take a deep breath and think about all the things you’ve got going for you -– how many people get to go to such a great school, have such great friends, live in Redondo Beach? –- and you keep going.”
Zent kept going, beyond Redondo. He was awarded an academic scholarship to the University of Michigan and subsequently attended law school, again on scholarship, at another highly regarded school, the University of Chicago. Last summer, he interned with the Eastern District Attorney office in New York, where he had been a part of a team in the successful, high profile prosecution of hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli. Before even graduating, he was offered a position by Kirkland & Ellis, one of the top law firms in the nation. He accepted, and had begun his final year of classes last September when he encountered severe chest pains; shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with sarcoma. He battled intense, 14-day bouts of chemotherapy with his characteristic determination, humor, and grace.
“I’m thankful for everyone out there supporting me in the fight of my life,” he wrote on Facebook last Thanksgiving. “This has truly been a humbling experience and I am forever grateful. If you haven’t already, feel free to reach out to me personally (besides you Mitchell) if you want an update or just to chat — I’ve got nothing but time.”
Redondo Beach Councilman Todd Loewenstein, a former Redondo school board trustee and a University of Michigan alum, had become friends with Zent over the last few years
“Zach and I kind of bonded,” Loewenstein said. “I sought him out — not only did he go to Michigan, and RUHS, but because he had Crohn’s disease, and I have it…. He struck me as a really incredible kid. People say, ‘Live life to the fullest,’ but he actually did. He had everything going for him except his health.”
Loewenstein noted that he’s been involved with the University of Michigan for 33 years and had never before met someone who won an academic scholarship to the school.
“And he did,” Loewenstein said. “I’ve known some really bright kids, but he was really special — he just worked his tail off.”
But it was more than hard work, Loewenstein said. Zent seemed to understand the preciousness of life more than his peers and thus made sure no day went by not fully lived. Despite the business of his academic pursuits, Zent always managed to somehow fit in everything — tending to his family, taking trips abroad with his friends, engaging with life with the same hellbent exuberance he displayed as an undersized but never overwhelmed linebacker back in his Sea Hawk days.
“I think the term ‘wise beyond his years’ — it’s that,” Loewenstein said. “Partly it was because of his illness, maybe, but his ability to relate to people was extraordinary. He was really popular wherever he went and he’s got a really dedicated group of friends. It takes somebody special to do all he did.”
Forty of his Michigan alumni friends are visiting Redondo for Zent’s funeral, which is this Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church in Redondo Beach. They will not be alone in remembering Zent as a somebody who left an outsized impact on those who knew him, simply by living the life he loved no matter what challenges he faced.
“I know that he’s gone but he made a huge impact on our lives, on my life,” said counselor Rodriguez. “Zach definitely left this world better than he found it.”