Blake Barnes was a talented athlete and selfless individual with love for those around him.

Blake’s father Doug Barnes said his son was an extremely driven individual, even from a young age. 

“What was really unique about Blake from a lot of other kids his age and even adults, [was his] desire to learn about others and how he [could] make an impact in the world,” Barnes said.  

Blake, entering his sophomore year at Texas A&M, was pursuing international studies in hopes of working for the United Nations to make an impact and improve the world. During his time at A&M, Blake joined the cross country team, and ran in the Aggie Opener.

“Blake genuinely loved going to Texas A&M,” Barnes said. “He loved the classroom. He loved the location. He loved [being a part of] the cross country team.”

Finance sophomore Colin Stasick said he met Blake through competing together on their high school cross country team. 

“I met Blake my freshman year in cross country,” Stasick said. “We also had a couple classes together and just through athletics and [the] classroom, we just started slowly becoming friends. It was cool to see him go from not really too interested in athletics to [becoming] our best runner in Prosper and make it to state, and place and do super well.”

Even while competing in a difficult race, Stasick said Blake put a smile on his face for his friends and family cheering him on in the crowd. 

“Blake was just always a super happy, positive person,” Stasick said. “It’s really funny to see him running and he’s dying in these races, and if you call his name to cheer for him, he always gives the biggest smile. He [was] never in too much pain to crack a joke or smile.”

Even with a full schedule, Stasick said Blake always made time for the loved ones in his life. 

“Blake always made time for everybody in his life,” Stasick said. “He was a very selfless person, so it kind of taught me to reach out to those I care about a little bit more and be there for them.”

The Aggie Core Value of selfless service was something Blake embodied, and wanted to create opportunities for students to give back, Stasick said. 

“He wanted to start the Aggie Red Cross Club,” Stasick said. “He loved A&M and just always cared about putting the school, his academics and other people ahead of himself, which was amazing.”

Graduate instructor and research assistant in the sociology department Jason Azriel Campos described Blake as a scholar, inside and outside of the classroom. 

“He was always enthusiastic about the material,” Campos said. “So much so that he would stay after class and ask me questions about the lecture — some of these topics are highly politicized these days, but he was not afraid to engage in a civil, academic discussion. He was an inquisitive mind, which is all I ask of students in any of my courses.” 

Through his dedication to athletics and academics, Barnes said one word came to mind when remembering his son: proud. 

“I believe he accomplished more in 19 years than most people will accomplish in a lifetime,” Barnes said. “By that, I mean just the way he had the ability to impact people. The impact he had on everybody — it was going to make an impact on the world.”