Volume 56, issue 1-June 13, 2023

Volume 56, Issue 1

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

https://lavozdeanza.com

Springing into action

DA Voices: What are you doing after graduation

District board overturns Measure G megaproject plans

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Editorial: Mental health treatments requires accountability from selves, schools

Season recap: Hurdles on and off the track.

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Coffee shop owner brings caffeinated drinks, spirit to campus PAGE 5

Photoessay: Mountain Lions track and field places second at Coast Conference meet PAGE 8

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STAFF PROFILES JUNE 13, 2023

Letter from Editor-in-Chief Dear La Voz readers, On behalf of the La Voz staff, I am pleased to announce that we are back in print after a two year hiatus. Since COVID-19 shut down all schools, La Voz was unable to continue its print edition and moved to publish online.

Deciding that two years was long enough, the La Voz editorial board and staff have worked hard to create this physical issue that you hold in your hands today.

This couldn’t have been possible without the unyielding support from our adviser, Farideh Dada, who has guided and cheered us on since day one. We hope you enjoy reading this special edition of our print paper as much as we have enjoyed making it for you.

Inside, you will find highlights from spring quarter and perhaps even your name included too!

This is only the beginning of La Voz’s new future as we continue to be “the voice” of De Anza.

Well wishes, Autumn Alvarez

Meet the staff

Features & Impulse Editor Nikita Bankar

Managing & Multimedia Editor Lauren Linh Bui

I’m so proud of my team for always striving to go above and beyond, and I’m excited for the print newspaper to come back!

News Editor Gina Munoz

I enjoyed going back to school, getting to see people face-to-face again and seeing the campus flourish. I made some new friends this quarter, and that will be the thing I miss the most when I transfer.

I’m really grateful for La Voz! Not only can I be part of an awardwinning newspaper, but I’m also learning from a wonderful team of hardworking individuals.

Photo Editor Connor Blum

La Voz accomplished a lot this quarter, even though we have a small staff. We got tons of new articles out weekly; the podcast started up again; and now we are about to print the newspaper again.

Sport Editor Abel Tariku

Being a part of La Voz was amazing! This quarter, we successfully brought back the print newspaper after COVID-19, won countless awards and achieved so much more.

Staff also includes: Yumeno Matsuo (staff writer)

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Chia Yu “Teresa” Wu (staff writer) Justin Fry (staff writer) Isabella McClintock (staff writer) Katrina Bui (freelance writer)

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Archee Kumar (freelance writer) Leila Salam (freelance photographer) Jessie “Xinjie” Zhou (freelance designer) Sabrina “Jiang” Lai (freelance designer) Jigna Bhakta (freelance designer) Rory Conlon (copy editor) Anisa Qadir (copy editor) Aziza Saidova (student employee) Farideh Dada (faculty adviser)

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Instagram

3 DA Voices: ‘What are you doing after graduation?’

NEWS

LAVOZDEANZA.COM

By Yumeno Matsuo and Chia Yu Wu STAFF REPORTERS

Estela Colorado, 21, philosophy major, is excited to dive deeper into education. “My plan is to go and continue my philosophy major at UC Berkeley,” Colorado said. “I am more excited to (learn) about specific philosophers, the philosophy of law and also about metaphysics because I feel like I couldn’t learn too much about (that) here.”

George Hennon, 21, botany and architecture major, gave a brief overview of his design ideas. “Basically, I’m going to be a landscape design engineer,” Hennon said. “I’m focusing on water and on growing plants on the side of skyscrapers. I’m focusing on plants that grow downwards and also on planting trees on the top of parking garages.”

“DA Voices” is a recurring feature used to spotlight De Anza College’s diverse community voices.

Muaaz Khan, 21, electrical engineering major, said he is going to San Diego State University next quarter.

“San Diego seemed like the most fun place to be and it also seemed like one of the best out of all the CSUs,“ Khan said.

Naxely Belmont, 20, history major, is transferring to UCLA this year, and she hopes to prepare for graduate school. “I am very excited to go to UCLA, “ Belmont said. “I think in the back of my mind I’ve always dreamt about moving to Los Angeles, and having the opportunity doesn’t feel real right now.”

Emma Caires, 20, journalism major, has a positive outlook on her future after leaving De Anza. “After graduating this year, I will be transferring to the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa to continue my education in journalism and train as a yoga instructor,” Caires said.

‘Students on Campus’ new weekly podcast

By Bella McClintock and Justin Fry STAFF REPORTERS

Waiting for class to start? Commuting to campus? Need something to listen to and want to stay updated about what’s happening on campus? We’ve got you covered! “Students on Campus” is a weekly podcast hosted by Bella McClintock and Justin Fry with segments regarding events and activities, student government and weekly guests. This podcast has something for every student.

Contact lavoz@fhda.edu if you would like to write in for our advice talks, nominate a guest (which can be yourself!) or ask a question.

Follow La Voz on social media: @LaVozDeAnza

ILLUSTRATION BY NIKITA BANKAR

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NEWS JUNE 13, 2023

District board overturns Measure G megaproject plans

By Rory Conlon COPY EDITOR

The Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees overturned proposed plans for spending the $898 million Measure G bond and moved to redirect resources toward other purposes during their meeting on May 8.

De Anza College President Lloyd Holmes presented his plans for Measure G to students and faculty, explaining the administration’s goal of building a new Event Center on campus to replace the now-defunct Flint Center. This study session served as a second major update in Measure G plans after students and faculty raised concerns regarding communication about these plans and no permanent spaces being designated for the arts.

“The Event Center should serve (...) the students of De Anza.”

The meeting started with two research consultants, Bill Blake and Amy Ben-Kiki, presenting their findings on the feasibility of building a new Event Center through analyzing supply and demand for the venue.

The first thing they reviewed were the results from 46 stakeholder interviews they conducted, which included organizations ranging from DASG and De Anza faculty and staff to the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and Santa Clara County Supervisors.

“In these interviews, we had a few consistent themes emerge,” Ben-Kiki said. “We heard that the primary group that the Event Center should serve above all the others is the students of De Anza. This was often framed in contrast to the Flint Center, which was seen as not having been part of the student life.”

The consultants also collected and evaluated responses from people who would use the facility by presenting their content in the venue. Blake explained that the potential user survey was open for four months and sent to 54 local organizers and promoters, 18 of whom responded.

“The demand is clustered around a venue with 850-1200 seats,” Blake

PHOTO BY RORY CONLON

said. “We didn’t catch a lot of use for a performance-based venue from users, both off-campus and on. The demand only accounts for 26 days of use (a year).”

At the end of the presentation, the consultants gave board meeting members three choices to discuss moving forward, which were to “meet” the market, to “make” the market or to redirect resources elsewhere.

The first option involves designing and developing a series of smaller, flexible spaces.

The second option involves designing a multi-use event space for college-driven programs.

“Build something very flexible and dynamic that can convert to flat floor space, which would be unique in the market for the many things it can do,” Blake said.

The third option entails refocusing the “Event Center” concept and directing resources to other priorities such as renovations or improvements to pre-existing assembly and arts buildings.

“To tee up what you might want to think about,” Blake said, “(consider) this concept of an event venue and what its real purpose would be given that you want to serve the student needs first, community needs second and have some revenue opportunities – if possible – third.”

President Holmes said the board needed to give input on future

needed to give input on future courses of action so he could pass that information on to the newly-formed Measure G taskforce.

“Do we continue down the road we’re on based upon the information that we’ve received?” Holmes asked.

“Can we modify the space per the AMS feasibility study?”

He also addressed the possibility of scrapping plans for a new Event Center.

“I want to make certain that, as the task force is working to move things forward on our campus and engage with our constituency groups, we have a very clear direction from the board,” said Holmes.

Holmes turned it over to Susan Cheu, the vice chancellor of business services, to give her perspective on the situation.

She agreed with Holmes’ statement about deciding whether or not the board wants an Event Center, and also explained the original process of planning possible projects funded by bond money.

“When we initially went out for the bond, we had about $1.5 billion worth of need and had to whittle that down to $898 million,” Cheu said.

“There were a lot of changes that were made as we moved along as a result of deciding to put the Event Center and housing as two of our priority projects.”

She also addressed some budgetary concerns that could arise if the

Event Center is not built.

“If it’s not built, (we need to) look at those areas that were cut (in the initial budget) and then look at some projects that are coming in over (budget) – the inflation cost cannot be underestimated at this point,” she said. “The task force can be a start in deciding the yes or no question (of building the Event Center) and then what comes next would be a broader conversation.”

President Patrick Ahrens asserted the need for the board to give “scaffolding” to the De Anza Measure G taskforce so they could be “set up for success.” He also shared some of his thoughts on the findings from the feasibility study.

“There isn’t a market for a formal Event Center, and that we tried this before – it’s called the Flint Center,” he said. “That’s not something we wanted. I’m certainly not in favor of making the market because I can’t get behind a venue that’s going to be operated only 26 days of the year.”

The board opened up to comment from public attendees. Amy Huang, the DASG president and a student representative on the task force, said she saw no need for a new Event Center.

“There’s an under-utilization of on-campus resources, including Smithwick Theater and VPAC,” said Huang, 24, a business tri-major.

fulfill both responsibilities. “(Lambert) already has a very well-established reputation nationally and within the community college system in his own state for his accomplishments,” Miner said.

Lambert started his career in his early 20s when he joined the United States Army and was chosen to be a battalion legal clerk.

After serving, he attended Evergreen State College in Washington, working in housing operations as a resident assistant, a special assistant to the president of the college and an interim dean overseeing enrollment management.

He went on to work as a special assistant in civil rights and legal affairs, an employee in human resources, a diversity trainer and an adjunct teacher for eight years in subjects including civil rights and social justice.

Lambert explained what he can bring to his upcoming role as chancellor.

“I bring the ability to work with a community of individuals,” Lambert said. “I work both internally, with the employees, the students and the board and externally, with the community,

the businesses and all that. (I can) develop a compelling vision that people buy into and help shape an overall direction for an institution.”

Miner said community college leaders not only need to understand and help students’ basic needs of housing and food, but also prepare them to thrive in the workforce.

“We should be able to provide (students) with the tools that they need to get hired into jobs that will be paying them enough money to live in this valley, to support a family, if that’s their choice,” Miner said.

Using a “human-centric approach to leadership,” Lambert said that he can meet the needs of the community, students and employees. By listening and working together with the community, he said he can lead the district in a positive way.

“The chancellor alone can’t make that happen,” Lambert said. “It’s all of us working together that makes it happen.

So that’s what I’m going to do, first come in and ask some basic questions, (then) take all that in and

start to formulate a sense of direction.”

Lambert said he also took into account the values promoted by the district – gaining community support, enabling student success and promoting success in the use of bond money – when he applied for the position.

“I always look at what the values of the organization are and how they align with my own values,” he said.

“I want to know that you actually have demonstrated a commitment to excellence.”

Some of Lambert’s decisions as the chancellor of Pima Community Col lege, however, have caused controversy.

According to the Arizona Daily Star, Lambert, on two separate occasions, was found “personally liable for terminating a college employee without providing a hearing or due process” on behalf of the college.

Lambert said this wasn’t the full story.

“In terms of employees, I always follow the process that is outlined for that individual and their terms and conditions of employment,” he said.

“When I was trying to host a Measure G event, we tried getting an MLC room and I was told that students are not allowed to rent out any rooms at MLC. We’re talking about building this entirely new thing, but we aren’t even able to rent out rooms that already exist on-campus.”

Academic senate President Cheryl Jaeger Balm highlighted the original idea behind relocating the arts quad and proposed using the bond money on upgrading the infrastructure of creative arts buildings.

“As we were talking about building the Event Center, one of our vice presidents said that we need to relocate the arts quad because if they were a student, they would be embarrassed to show our facilities to their parents,” Balm said. “If we take this $100 million and we don’t primarily use it to help out the creative arts after all that was said about how terrible their facilities are, there’s going to be a lot of frustrated people at De Anza.”

After consideration based on ideas presented above, Ahrens suggested the board issue a general directive to the task force to redirect resources and hear what the individual campuses have to say regarding these possibilities.

Cheu discussed when she could return estimates for different proposed projects. She said she could quickly give rough estimates with the assistance of Joel Cadiz, the district executive director of facilities and operations, but final estimates would take longer.

“We can pull out the resources that are available for the Event Center, the student services building, and swing space for the arts,” she said. “Joel Cadiz can give some very round numbers of what things might cost in terms of updating an arts quad and updating audio-visual equipment.

We need to get a consultant to give really hard numbers, but I would beg that we don’t do that until July because we have a tentative budget coming up in June.”

Ahrens set the deadline for Cheu turning in a budget for different options to the taskforce for July, with some leeway until August.

Ahrens then set the next independent study session on Measure G issues for October, when classes would be back in session and students and faculty would be able to attend to give their opinions.

Incoming chancellor announces plans for the district

By Autumn Alvarez EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With three years left in his tenure as chancellor and CEO of Pima Community College in Arizona, Lee Lambert was elected the new Foothill-De Anza chancellor, taking the place of soon-to-retire Judy C. Miner.

Current Foothill-De Anza chancellor Judy Miner said although she did not participate in the election process, she is pleased with the Board of Trustees’ decision.

“I was certainly excited by the board’s choice,” Miner said. “I do believe that the board chose someone with CEO experience and experience in working directly for a board. (This) really prepares him in a very significant way to be an effective leader of Foothill-De Anza.

Miner said chancellors need to establish both internal relationships with the board and external connections with people on campus and in the community.

She explained that Lambert’s previous track record shows he can

PHOTO COURTESY OF FHDA BOARD

Lambert ”The media may characterize things differently than how things are actually done. Unfortunately, with personnel matters, management never really gets to fully tell its side of the story.”

Lambert will begin as chancellor on Aug. 1. He said he looks forward to taking on the position.

“I’m just excited by the opportunity, he said. “I’ve always admired the Foothill-De Anza district from afar.”

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FEATURES Coffee shop owner brings caffeinated drinks and spirit to campus LAVOZDEANZA.COM

By Autumn Alvarez EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Many people never think about returning to their school after they graduate, but former De Anza student Jared Forman, the owner of Power Cup Coffee on campus, is an exception.

“Since 1998, my life has been coffee,” Forman said.

Every day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the 42-year-old serves students coffee.

Behind a counter stacked with utensils and sugar packets, Forman steams milk and pulls shots to craft refreshingly iced and piping hot drinks.

“It’s a stimulant that can alter your perception a little bit,” Forman said.

“But it’s legal, so you can do it.”

Forman started out as a De Anza student majoring in film and art. On the side, he worked as a part-time barista outside in the L-Quad, the same coffee shop he runs in the cafeteria today.

“You could still smoke on campus back at that point, so all the smokers would come over with their cigarettes and drink coffee,” he said.

Forman’s roots at De Anza stretch back across multiple decades. He first visited the campus as an infant because his father used to work as a massage therapy professor.

“I have a lot of connections to the college,” he said. “My dad started a massage school on campus which has

said he was still able to work in film.

However, he said making coffee remained his true passion.

“I worked in the film industry for a while, making music videos, features, mostly independent films, but I chose to do this,” he said. “It was like a dream, especially (returning to) De Anza.”

Forman became the owner of De Anza’s coffee shop Power Cup Coffee in 2011. He called the shop his “bread and butter” aside from a couple odd jobs fixing espresso machines.

The now indoor, cafeteria-based shop is run by Forman and Chanel Harper, a 26-year-old former De Anza student.

“Jared’s cool to work with,” Harper said. “It’s a nice environment. People here are really easy going, and it’s a fun, chill environment to work in.”

Things weren’t always easy.

Power Cup Coffee shut down for two and a half years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Forman without his primary source of income.

“I had to work different jobs,” he said. “I mowed lawns. I worked for a school district in Capitola where I was a cook and baker. I was at a junior high making food. You got to pay rent, right?”

Power Cup Coffee reopened in the fall 2022 quarter. He said returning to his coffee shop made him realize why in-person connection is important.

“We need that interaction between each other, which is why I feel we should be getting back on campus instead of being online,” Forman said.

“It’s also better for business, I’m not going to lie.”

Miya Torres, an occasional customer at the shop, said Forman’s presence is a large part of the coffee shop’s success.

“It has a vibe like no other college campus (coffee shop),” said Torres, 19, interior design major. “(Jared) is the staple.”

Arjun Chindarkar, a 22-year-old business major who has visited the shop a handful of times, said that he can tell Forman loves what he is doing.

“He has a positive energy,” Chindarkar said. “You can tell that he’s truly interested.”

For Forman, coffee goes beyond a passing interest or a refreshing drink.

“I love coffee – it’s love made visible,” Forman said. “It’s in my blood.”

“It was like a dream, especially (returning to) De Anza.”

- Jared Forman, owner of Power Cup Coffee

PHOTO BY AUTUMN ALVAREZ

Jared Forman makes a cup of coffee for a customer on May 24. since been (discontinued). It was the one program in California where you could get an associate degree in mas-

sage (therapy) and they canceled it.”

Although Forman didn’t graduate from De Anza with a degree, he

Keep an eye out for Power Cup Coffee, which is now serving boba!

International students prepare to transfer

By Yumeno Matsuo STAFF REPORTER

More than 250 people attended the International Student Transfer Fair, an event that provided international students the opportunity to speak face-to-face with university representatives, on May 3.The annual event has been organized by the International Student Program for over 10 years.

Lynn Ling, the ISP program coordinator and organizer of the fair, said that the event allows international students to ask school representatives the requirements for transfer and provides them with the chance to explore different schools.

“Some students may realize, ‘oh, wait, my major in this school has a lot of internships and support,’ so they probably will decide to transfer to that school instead of following their original plan,” Ling said. “(Events like this) will provide our students with more opportunities (to find schools) that best fit their academic goals.”

Rapeeporn Saekow, 20, computer science major, is an international student from Thailand. She said she never thought she would want to attend California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, but after interacting with their staff, she is now interested in applying.

“The staff was really nice,” Saekow said. “I’m really interested in that university (now).”

South Korean international student Min-seo Kim, 19, computer science major, said she wants to apply to all colleges in the University of California system because of the guaranteed admissions programs available to transfer students.

Despite these available programs,

Ufuk Baytekin, 20 years old, mechanical engineering major, visits more than three university booths at Hinson Campus Center Conference Rooms A and B on May 3.

PHOTO BY YUMENO MATSUO

she said she also wants to apply to other out-of-state and private universities.

“I’m curious about requirements to transfer to Columbia University and University of South Carolina,” Kim said.

Turkish international student Ufuk Baytekin, 20, mechanical engineering major, asked school representatives how he could improve his chances of getting into a school. He said they advised that aside from taking courses, he also needs to take part in campus life and show he’s an active member of society.

“Things like joining clubs or

(engaging in) community service will make it easier to get accepted,” Baytekin said.

Burmese international student Alex Moe, 18, biological science major, said that the event is a great opportunity to ask school representatives how to maximize chances of being able to transfer.

“It is important for international students to complete the prerequisites, such as having high GPAs or participation in extracurricular activities and finish the general education courses,” Moe said.

For some international students, the fair carried more meaning be-

cause they could ask about scholarship programs.

“The scholarship availability for international students is quite slim.

So that’s one of the things that we have to consider asking them,” Moe said.

CSUs as well as some out-of-state and private universities provide scholarship opportunities for international students.

“As I know, for example, Menlo College provided good scholarship opportunities a few years ago for international students,” Ling said.

“Some of our students decided to transfer to Menlo College after they

knew of this opportunity.”

Events like this fair are mutually beneficial: both help students learn how to transfer to four-year universities, and representatives from the 38 universities that attended helped recruit students to raise enrollment.

Emily Stanton, the lead admissions officer at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was one of the representatives that came to speak with students.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” Stanton said. “We have a lot of international students that come from De Anza and from Foothill, so it’s great for us to be here and meet with them ahead of time.”

6 OPINIONS

‘Struggle Essay’ : contest for school acceptance

JUNE 13, 2023

ILLUSTRATION BY MAURICIO MUNOZ-VILLANUEVA

Mental health treatment requires accountability from selves, schools

By Editorial Board

In a land flowing with milk and honey, that being a society overflowing with resources at every corner of our reach, it is a wonder why more than 60% of college students struggle with at least one mental health problem.

If students are to improve their mental health, they must not solely rely on their school systems but also on their own motivation to pursue help. The first step in wellness is taking responsibility for your life, getting real about the help you need and actively seeking it.

A survey by Healthy Minds Network, an organization focused on mental health among young adults, found that 96,000 students from various U.S. colleges in the 2021-2022 school year displayed the highest rates of mental health issues in the network’s past 15 years of research. Students reported experiences with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse and even suicide.

What factors are affecting this generation of students? The answers vary for each individual, but the survey shows that loneliness, academic stress and lack of institutional help have contributed to these unprecedented numbers.

Another factor affecting students is social media. According to a study by the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, “people who used social media for more than 2 hours per day were twice as likely to feel socially isolated compared with those who only used social media for under half an hour every day.”

“60% of college students struggle with at least one mental health problem.”

- The National Education Association As a result students are left feeling lonely, isolated and dependent on inauthentic sources of happiness and health.The everpresent access to social media allows students to waste time mindlessly scrolling and digesting more content than one has time for and neglect face-to-face interaction needed to build strong connections.

The misconception that students are isolated and have to fend for themselves may also come from conversations around mental health. A Healthy Minds Network study found that 6% of students agreed with the statement “I would think less of someone who has received mental health treatment” while 40% agreed with the statement “most people would think less of someone who has received mental health treatment.”

Some students may experience a form of internalized shame, feeling that they are weak for experiencing such hardships.

Social stigma from fellow peers and even family can also diminish mental health issues as small

bouts of illness to “get over ” instead of seeking treatment needed to manage and heal.

Two understandings are necessary to rectify these thoughts.

One, mental illness is not a sign of weakness or lack of emotional stability. Two, mental illnesses are not defining traits but rather battles requiring real treatment.

Treatment, however, is not easily accessible to all students.

Although educational institutions, including 90 out of 116 community colleges, may provide students access to on-campus counselors, availability runs thin with weeks-in-advance scheduling and low counselor-to-student ratios.

To widen access to support, institutions like De Anza College have begun holding group therapy sessions, hosting campus workshops and establishing student centers to break down stigmas around mental health.

Other colleges are investing in peer counseling to invite positive, community-centered discussions around mental health struggles and provide aid to students lacking a support system.

And who knows, this might even help students get off their phones and make real connections with peers around them.

By joining the vast array of clubs and organizations on campuses, students can find niches dedicated to their own interests and create relationships within those groups.

Students acknowledging their personal needs, taking accountability for their own health and having constructive mental health discussions with peers or professionals provide the way forward for addressing widespread mental health issues.

Scan the QR code to read more stories online

ILLUSTRATION BY KATRINA BUI

By Katrina Bui STAFF REPORTER

As my time to start university transfer applications approaches, I find myself inundated with college related content while I scroll through my social media accounts or check my personal emails.

Every time this happens, I am once again reminded of the feelings of stress and dread that await me in the future as I make my way through the college admissions system for the second time.

Applying for college is a taxing and high-stakes process. It sometimes becomes difficult for prospective students to separate their own self-worth from their acceptance and rejection letters due to the endless amounts of time and effort invested.

One aspect of college applications that is particularly damaging is the normalization and encouragement of “struggle essays” as personal statements.

Many institutions ask aspiring students to chronicle their greatest obstacles, perhaps to gain insight into their character or to see if they would be a good fit for the campus.

However, I believe that this practice is ineffective because it is built on assumptions that enable a toxic culture around the idea of personal hardship and trivialize mental health.

The application for the University of California system features a Personal Insight Question (PIQ) that states: “Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?” This prompt, while somewhat open-ended, is clear in its solicitation: open up, to a faceless stranger, about the most difficult experience of your life, in 350 words or less.

This forces an expectation onto the individual to show an extreme level of vulnerability to a person that they probably won’t ever meet, yet has the power to determine the trajectory of their future from a mere few paragraphs.

Additionally, it makes an assumption that one must have learned or gained something from this struggle, and that they will have resolved their issues by the time of their application.

Enduring hardship is an important part of life that can indeed shape an individual, but sometimes bad things just happen. Expecting someone to always find value in their struggles enforces toxic positivity that can invalidate their experiences and criticisms of the issues that they may face.

Furthermore, the normalization of this notion leads to the conflation of one’s application with their struggles, and by extension, themselves. In many ways the application system becomes a contest of who struggled the most, with an acceptance letter as the prize.

When a student is rejected they may

feel as if their struggles were not valid enough. If they are accepted, they may feel like they are perceived only by their struggles.

As students face structural and societal inequities in their daily lives, they may feel compelled to write about them in their college essays. However, many admissions services advise against these topics, stating that they may be too common or cliché.

Aside from it being discriminatory, this assumption glosses over a greater implication— the fact that these problems are so widespread and severe that they impact the lives of large groups of people. This in turn exploits the negative effects without actually addressing them.

Because of this students feel pressured to capitalize on their traumatic experiences and package them up into readable, feel-good fairytales of 650 words or less for the uncertain sake of their futures, often before they are even able to process their feelings.

It can be argued that writing about a negative experience may help someone process their emotions surrounding it.

While I agree that it is possible, the small space and strict guidelines of a college admissions essay does not provide an accommodating environment to do so.

Admittedly, I don’t believe the struggle essay should be taken away completely. With a better approach, it can become a good outlet for students and colleges alike.

On an institutional level, this would entail university’ admissions departments being more transparent about their evaluation process and what they seek in student applications. This would ease the burden of uncertainty for students and discourage harmful behavior for and on applications.

A good first step for applicants is to simply be aware of and stop oneself from falling into the dangerous aspects of the struggle essay. When crafting such a response, students should be mindful in the assessment and portrayal of their feelings to avoid letting their negative experiences define and take over their self image.

Additionally, we should work to change the culture around the romanticization of suffering that is prevalent in our society, as it contributes to our current perception of these struggle essays.

With every new application cycle college admissions only become more competitive. The application process is already difficult enough, so expecting students to pour their hearts out for a simple yes or no only serves to further reduce their confidence and perceptions of themselves.

In a system where you will inevitably be compared to countless others, it’s important to acknowledge that everyone endures hardships and everyone’s hardships are valid, regardless of whether or not they can be spun into an inspiring story that fits within a word limit.

SPORTS

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Season Recap: Hurdles on and off the track LAVOZDEANZA.COM

By Abel Tariku SPORTS EDITOR

De Anza’s track and field team ended its season on May 20 with the men’s team tying for sixth place in the CCCAA California State Championship.

This is an improvement from last year’s eighth place ranking, but the journey was a lot harder than the team had expected.

Elliot Daniels, 18, nursing major, said that expectations were high as he set the bar for himself and for the team.

“I wanted to qualify for state, and I’m excited to say that I have achieved that,” Daniels said.

The team started off strong as the men placed first and the women in fourth at the Monterey Peninsula Premiere on Feb. 18. At the Chabot Opener on Feb. 25, the women’s team placed second.

They continued their dominance as the men’s team placed first at both the Monterey Peninsula Premiere on Feb. 18 and the Chabot Opener on Feb. 25 whereas the women’s team placed fourth and second respectively.

However, the following week was when disaster started to strike.

A COVID-19 outbreak stopped the Mountain Lions from attending the Beaver Relays on March 3, which brought down the team’s momentum.

Poor weather conditions postponed meets and strained the team even further.

Conrad Lomeli, 19, political science major, said he had a lot of frustration with these issues, as it slowed the team down.

“Sometimes we didn’t perform as much as we did because we had to compete in back-to-back meets, and we’re really tired,” Lomeli said.

“Our bodies were not going to get better, so a lot of (us) thought, ‘Let’s just get through the season. Let’s compete.’”

However, things would go from bad to worse as head coach Nick Mattis would be put under administrative paid leave during the final weeks of the season, interim coach Sam Boulanger said.

La Voz will be further investigating this matter and a follow up story will be posted soon.

Instead of throwing in the towel, the team proved themselves able and continued competing.

Daniels ended up placing fourth

Above: Antoine Moret, 19, aerospace engineering major, hurdles during the 3,000 meter steeplechase event at the Wildcat Cup meet on March 18.

in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races while Travis Martin, 19, communications major, placed first in the hammer throw at the final state championship meet and fourth in the discus throw.

On the women’s team, Yadi Set, 19, business major, placed 12th in the shot put and said she remained determined throughout the season.

“I’m pretty happy with my performance,” Set said. “The journey to get there was very tough but I’m grateful for the experience.”

Despite the challenges faced, Daniels said he believes there is still hope for the team and thinks it can get better from here.

“This is without a doubt the best season that I could have ever asked for,” Daniels said.” I’m going to give it everything I got to try to get that win at state (next year).”

Left: Elliot Daniels, 18, nursing major, runs his last lap of the 10,000 meter race at the Coast Confrence Prelims meet on April 26.

PHOTOS BY CONNOR BLUM

Madison Moe takes the opportunities given to her

By Abel Tariku SPORTS EDITOR

From playing badminton casually, to winning back-to-back state championships, Madison Moe always takes the opportunities given to her.

Madison Moe, 21, kinesiology major, was recently awarded California Community College Athletic Association athlete of the month after leading the women’s badminton team to their second straight state championship.

Madison Moe, 21, kinesiology major, stands in front of the track fence.

PHOTO BY ABEL TARIKU

“It was actually a surprise,” Moe said. “I wasn’t really expecting to win the state championship.”

Moe said she started to play badminton in fifth grade because “my cousin suggested to my dad that I should play and my dad signed me up for a summer camp.”

“The coach from the summer camp asked if I wanted to train with him after the camp and I said,‘I might as well give it a go,’” she said. “I started to train with him for a couple of years until I stopped in my freshman year of high school.”

She said her journey required a lot

of hard work.

“Starting from when I was 10 to when I was 14 or 15, it was daily training,” Moe said. “It started to get more intense and competitive as I kept going.”

Moe said she wasn’t planning on playing badminton at De Anza, but when the opportunity came, she took it. She encouraged students to take any opportunities that come to them.

“If you see an opportunity just go for it,” she said. “Even if it doesn’t look good in the very beginning, if you just keep trying and give it a chance, it’ll come through.”

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SPORTS JUNE 13, 2023

Mountain Lions track and field places second

By Connor Blum PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The De Anza Mountain Lions track and field team competed in the two day Coast Conference meet at Hartnell College in Salinas.

During the preliminaries on April 26, the men’s team earned 183 points and the women’s team earned 219 points. Both placed second on April 29 during the Coast Conference Finals. De Anza athletes competed in every event and brought home an array of awards.

In the long jump, Maezie Castillo, 20, biology major, won with a mark of 5.29 meters. Castillo also won the triple jump with a mark of 10.83 meters.

Travis Martin, 19, communications major, won the hammer throw with a mark of 49.83 meters.

Athletes continued to move through the championship season and many even qualified for the state meet which was held at Modesto Junior College on May 19 and May 20.

Maya Lew, 19, communications major, kicks up the sand during the triple jump on April 26.

PHOTOS BY CONNOR BLUM

Micah Rudin, 20, political science major, leaps high into the air on April 26.

Smiling through the 10,000 meter race, Elliot Daniels, 18, nursing major, finishes strong on April 26.

Winding up for a throw, Travis Martin, 19, communications major, works hard to score points for the team on April 26.

Coast Conference Finals score Second place n Men’s team 183 points n Women’s team 219 points From left: Elliot Daniels, 18, nursing major, and Antoine Moret, 19, aerospace engineering major, lead the pack during the race at Hartnell College on April 26.