The voice of De Anza since 1967
U.S. reverses 6 De Anza visa record terminations
Faculty union petitions for international student protections
By Ingrid Lu and Mitchell Park LA VOZ STAFF
Legal status has been restored for six De Anza College and three Foothill College international students during a sweeping reinstatement effort by the Trump administration.
Foothill-De Anza Community College District Chancellor Lee Lambert confirmed that “all prior terminations of F-1 visa records” were reversed in an email sent to district employees on Monday, April 28.
De Anza President Omar Torres said that three De Anza students returned to their home countries after their legal status was initially deactivated, though none were formally deported.
The thousands of reversals to visa records are subject to change. According to a New York Times article published April 25, a Department of Homeland Security official said, “the students whose legal status was restored on Friday could still very well have it terminated in the future, along
with their visas.”
These terminations were discovered by International Student Programs, through routine checks to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System — the database that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS uses to monitor international visas — from April 4 to April 10. Four students’ records were restored by April 25, and the remaining five by April 28.
Foothill-De Anza was among 86 institutions that signed an amicus brief filed in April through the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, supporting legal action to challenge visa revocations and detentions.
In April, the Board of Trustees designated FHDA a “sanctuary district,” a symbolic title signaling solidarity with undocumented, international and other at-risk students.
Although no official connection has been made between FHDA’s sanctuary status and visa revocations within the district, the Trump administration
signed an executive order on Monday to bolster federal action against sanctuary districts.
The district has not shared specific reasons for the initial record terminations, but Torres said in an email after the terminations that the federal government’s explanations were “vague.”
“Ninety-nine percent of my international friends, they just come here to study,” said Austin Wong, 20, business major. “Go home, study, go home. De Anza. Home. De Anza. Home. Walmart.”
Students across the U.S. have reported having their visas revoked after a history of pro-Palestinian activism or offenses, such as DUIs and prior arrests, according to NBC.
“We don’t know where the boundary is. Like if I’m jaywalking, am I going to get my visa revoked, or am I going to get deported?” Wong said.
Faculty Association President and English instructor Tim Shively said he is coordinating a petition in support of international students with San Mateo Federation of Teachers AFT 1493, the faculty union that serves the San Mateo County Community College District’s three schools.
City College of San Francisco Faculty Union AFT 2121 later joined the petition.
The petition makes six demands of California community college administrators, including to seek legal action and ensure that compromised students remain enrolled in their classes.
“We want to make sure that students are protected and taken care of to the extent that we can take care of them,” Shively said. “There is a correlative movement of districts in the community college system in California linking together.”
As of May 1, the petition had over 300 signatures.
De Anza Student Government Elections vote share between disqualified Elevate candidates and runner-up candidates
DASG upholds Elevate disqualifications
Runner-ups certified, some senators call evidence “subjective”
By Gavin Rust LA VOZ STAFF
After a five-hour meeting, the De Anza Student Government Senate failed to overturn their disqualifications of five candidates who received the most votes for executive officer positions in the Student Council Chambers on April 23. Senators voted 11-6 to overturn the blanket disqualification, expecting to reevaluate which of the five deserved to be disqualified. However, the motion failed to meet the required two-thirds majority by one
vote. The disqualification remained.
The senate then certified the runner-ups except for the position of student trustee. Runner-up Alona Agmon, 18, business major, did not meet the required vote threshold, and the trustee position is said to be decided at the meeting on May 2 at 4 p.m., as of the printing of this article.
This decision followed a previous Election Certification and Complaint meeting on April 16 in which the senate unanimously voted to disqualify the coalition on
PHOTO BY MITCHELL PARK
Gary Chen, 22, computer engineering major, reads a magazine in the International Student Programs office on May 1. The ISP office is a recource center for F-1 visa De Anza students.
International Student Programs remains in communication with students affected by SEVIS record terminations.
PHOTO BY MITCHELL PARK
2 EDITORIAL
MAY 6, 2025
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Ingrid Lu
Managing Editor
Mitchell Park
News Editor
Wylder Robison
Sports Editor
Allan Galeana
A&E Editor
Sarah Atito
Features Editor
Ann Peñalosa
Opinion Editor
Seanna Henry
Photo Editor
Carolyn Zhao
Video Editor
Ashley Kang
Audio Editor
Xitlaly Martinez
Graphics Editor
Brooklyn Coyle
Social Media Editors
Gordon Yang
Orly Bryan
Copy Editor
Yumeno Matsuo
Staff
members
Tommy Ngo
Sam Eaton
Mariana Frias Da Costa
Gavin Rust
Freelancers
Reymond Castañeda
Jasmin Beltran Valdovinos
Grace Gutiérrez
Frank Mayers
Daniel Ramirez
Cindy Rodriguez
Luis Aponte Trejo
Aidai Boobekova
Matilda Whelan
Averie Choi
Francesca Cacchione
Janet Gargano
Atharva Salkar
Grayson Baker
Cosmo Babae
Ashley Diaz
eresa Mummert
Faculty Adviser
Farideh Dada
Office
Managers
Xitlaly Martinez
Mom, I can’t even afford community college
Rent costs should not price us out of a good education
By La Voz Editorial Board
They told us these would be the best years of our lives. They just forgot to mention these years might include pending evictions and sleeping in our cars.
The new student housing plan, which the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees finalized in a vote on April 7, relieves a pressing need for affordable housing at De Anza College by moving forward with acquiring Cupertino apartment complex McClellan Terrace Apartments.
Conveniently located within one mile of De Anza’s campus and providing a space of 94 units for about 332 beds, it takes a first, though not all-encompassing, step toward meeting student demand for housing.
As of the 2025 winter quarter, De Anza serves just over 16,000 students, three times the size of many other California community colleges. Despite its rising student population, with enrollment well above the national community college average of around 5,000 students, the school still lacks a solid housing plan.
Community college’s value lies in providing high-quality and accessible education and resources to the community. However, the De Anza campus is surrounded by some of the most expensive cities in the country. San Jose is the third-most expensive city in the United States, and Apartments.com calculates the cost of living in Sunnyvale is about 125% higher than the national average.
De Anza students are no strangers to housing difficulties. A 2024 FHDA Student Housing survey shows nearly 2 out of 10 De Anza students struggle with homelessness and 4.4 out of 10 students with housing insecurity.
Those with more stable accommodations still must stare down exorbitant housing prices in the San Francisco Bay Area, with The Campaign for College Opportunity finding 80% of U.S. community college students working.
Students need stable housing in order to concentrate on their schoolwork and achieve their educational goals in an era where degrees are more and more critical for pursuing a career. At De
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Moving students into the district’s newly-bought apartment complex provides a necessary service to the De Anza community, but populating an existing building displaces current residents. Many residents voiced their concern about their inputs not being included in the conversation.
Anza, affordable housing for students should not be a luxury, it is a necessity to put its “promise” within reach.
With Measure G passed in 2020 and a student housing task force assembled in the 2023-24 academic year, the board has taken three years to even begin addressing this initiative from inception.
The full timeline stretches back even further, with the first mention of creating student housing occurring over a decade ago in 2014; the housing conversation has been just that — only a conversation, for too long.
De Anza needs housing. Students need housing. We needed it five years ago. We can’t wait for another five. However, the way the project has been handled raises real concerns. Making decisions always comes with a cost.
Buying out the apartment complex displaces existing residents, many of whom are children who attend nearby K-12 schools. McClellan Terrace offers affordable units in an area of skyrocketing housing costs, and many community members have voiced fears about being priced out
of local options and being forced to move, uprooting their lives.
De Anza students deserve this housing, but so do the existing residents in the apartment complex with their established lives and its affordability.
The housing shortage is not new — it’s been a growing crisis for years. De Anza has had the time to incorporate resident input, they deserve to have their voices in the conversation.
In the housing search and acquisition process, this step has been conspicuously lacking as De Anza has not incorporated resident input during deliberations until after already buying the complex.
This should have been done from the very beginning, but going forward, the district must have more transparent communication with residents about the decision-making process.
This should be done by addressing resident fears about displacing children from their schools and social networks by holding more public town
halls and discussions.
Out of respect for the tenants and the impact of this decision on their lives, it is important to release information about why this route was chosen to increase student housing, instead of other options such as “housing vouchers” that many other residents proposed, or building new units directly on land owned by district administration.
This is all to make sure voices are sufficiently heard.
De Anza works hard to be one of the few accessible options people can turn to in order to earn accreditations that can serve as a passport toward a brighter future.
Providing students with affordable housing options takes a key step forward in preserving these dreams, but equally important, it should not transfer the burden onto others in the process.
At the end of the day, we are one community and should keep every group’s interests in mind.
ILLUSTRATION BY FRANCESCA CACCHIONE
Cupertino Whole Foods shut down after health violations
Students react to rat droppings, roaches; spokesperson says closure is temporary
By Gavin Rust LA VOZ STAFF
The Whole Foods located on Stevens Creek Boulevard, across the street from De Anza College, has been closed since April 23 by the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health after finding rat feces and live cockroaches.
Its operating permit was suspended after the bakery and deli departments were closed, as reported by KRON 4 News. New areas of the store were also found to be contaminated, leading to the closure of the entire store.
Anna Cordova, 27, film production major, said she bought pita bread from the bakery a week prior.
“I trust Whole Foods to have a clean environment, especially (since) it’s a natural foods store,” Cordova said. “They are totally going against their whole brand.”
Alan Neyer, 29, film and television
major, said that he ate there often.
“I was getting lunch there after class for the last quarter,” Neyer said. “I buy groceries there pretty regularly, so that sucks.”
Sanitation workers in hazmat suits sprayed the enclosed Whole Foods in the past week.
Savannah Erickson, 20, biology major, said Whole Foods should do better at maintaining health standards.
“I would probably go to another (Whole Foods),” Erickson said. “I always just assumed that since it was so expensive, it would be held to a higher standard.”
La Voz reached out to Whole Foods, and a spokesperson said that the store is not permanently closed.
“Our Cupertino location is temporarily closed while we complete necessary maintenance and repairs,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “We will reopen once the repairs are completed thoroughly.”
DASG continued from page 1.
the basis of violations of the election code. In the same meeting, the senate dismissed complaints against Kavi Kumaresan, 20, film and television major and Naim Pichori, 18, business major because of the administration committee’s failure to clearly communicate campaign rules with the candidates.
The five Elevate members who the senate disqualified are Aroush Fatima, 18, former DASG president-elect and computer science major; Lakshya Saini, 18, former events chair elect and computer science major; Kunishka Mundada, 18, former student trustee elect, political science and psychology major; Varshi Patcha, 18, former administration chair elect, economics and psychology major; and Shreyas Menon, 18, Inter
Club Council chair elect, computer science major.
The April 16 meeting resulted from Brown Act violations in the now-nullified March 13 Election Certification and Complaint meeting, wherein the administration committee muted the microphone and deliberated in a nonpublic matter.
During the voided March 13 meeting, the committee disqualified Kumaresan and Pichori for using a table “not provided to the general student body.”
The committee also levied 40 hours of community service and a threepage essay, and withheld half of the Elevate coalition’s reimbursements for “pressuring students into voting for them.” Their winning election result was also certified at this meeting, but would be later nullified because of the Brown Act violations.
DASG President Luca Paliska,
20, computer science major, placed the amendment to undo the disqualification on the April 23 agenda after hearing concerns from candidates and “extensive discussion with some senators and the advisers.”
“These points came from senators,” Paliska said. “Which implies the final verdict could have been different.”
Occasional bouts of yelling and unsolicited chatter amongst the public and senators interspersed the meeting.
DASG senator Katia Bravo, 20, data science major, said the reasoning to undo the disqualification was because not every Elevate member
necessarily deserved the disqualification. Bravo cited violations of the student code of conduct as grounds to disqualify, contrary to the previous verdict citing election code violations.
“Looking at the (student) code of conduct, a couple of the members of the Coalition should be disqualified,” Bravo said. “But there are some members who were acting very respectful.”
During the meeting, Miranda Carlberg, 28, animation major, a member of the public in attendance, described the meeting as “clownery” and said she wasn’t impressed with how the senators or Elevate conducted them-
selves during the meeting.
“Get it together,” Carlberg said. “Why is it taking so long for such a simple decision? Why the show of good faith for people who, time and again, explicitly show no good faith, who are disrespectful, who are blatantly breaking rules?”
DASG senator Matsuko Estrada Nakamatsu, 21, English major, said she hopes this is a closed case.
“It got very messy,” Estrada Nakamatsu said. “I don’t think the coalition or even the senators or the public would like to go through this again … it is a constant back and forth of fighting.”
Construction vehicles park in caution tape and traffic cones at the Cupertino Whole Foods parking lot on May 1, following its closure over safety violations.
PHOTO BY FRANK MAYERS
ILLUSTRATION BY ATHARVA SALKAR
PHOTO BY ASHLEY KANG
PHOTO BY ASHLEY KANG
Aroush Fatima, 18, computer science major and former DASG president-elect, tells the DASG senate to consider her and her coalition’s “helplessness” at its April 23 meeting.
DASG senator Katia Bravo, 20, data science major, addresses senators, including Matsuko Estrada Nakamatsu, 21, English major and Joshua Madrid, 20, psychology major, at the April 23 general senate meeting.
4 PHOTO ESSAY
De Anza car show revs to life
Showcase
features classic and modern automobiles with prizes and food
By Wylder Robison
Auto Tech Club’s annual car show attracted car enthusiasts and community members to Parking Lot E on Saturday, April 26, for its biggest exhibition yet.
The Auto Tech Club is affiliated with the De Anza Automotive Technology program. The program offers hands-on training to students who want to pursue a career in the automotive industry.
The event was free to the public, and participants paid $20 to display their vehicles. The show featured an array of modern, classic and vintage cars, giving attendees the chance to admire a variety of automotive styles.
Attendees were able to participate in a raffle to win prizes such as automotive tools and a large Snap-on tool box. In one corner of the lot, people could purchase mechanic coveralls and test out automotive tools.
Businesses such as Dublin Chev-
On
The
right:
interior of a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle on display in the parking lot, it did not feature standard power windows until its redesign in 2003.
LA VOZ STAFF
LA VOZ STAFF
Above: A row of third-generation Mazda RX-7s line a of Parking Lot E. The RX-7’s Wankel rotary engine uses a triangular rotor instead of traditional pistons to create combustion, setting it apart from other sports cars.
Above: De Anza and community members gather to enjoy and participate in the De Anza Autotech Club’s annual car show in Parking Lot E on April 26.
Calum Graham mesmerizes with soulful strings
Guitarist from Canada blends humor and heart in a harmonious night of music
By Gordon Yang LA VOZ STAFF
De Anza College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center came alive as Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Calum Graham took the stage for a 75-minute concert that captivated listeners across the San Francisco Bay Area on the evening of April 24.
Long before the concert started, the lobby was already bustling with fans, snapping up Graham’s latest album displayed on a long table at the entrance. The whole space was inundated with energy and excitement.
As the hall lights dimmed and a soft blue glow emerged onstage, Graham opened with a piece that sounded clear and gentle like water drops. His fingers danced across the strings in a flurry of motion.
After a thunderous round of applause, Graham broke the silence with a dose of humor.
“I was a chicken dad. I used to have four chickens,” Graham said. “But now I only have three … I got hungry once.”
The whole room burst into laughter.
Between each instrumental song, Graham charmed the audience with his easygoing humor and stories behind the music.
“I started playing classical music in the baroque period, but this piece wasn’t necessarily inspired by the baroque era,” Graham said as he intro-
duced “12:34,” his duet album with fellow Canadian guitarist Don Ross. “It was written at a time when I was broke.”
Throughout the evening, one standout piece was “Maelstrom.” Graham introduced the song with its music video.
Graham and his team filmed it at Glacier Point in Yosemite. Its rhythmic structure felt like standing on the vast expanse of rolling hills.
One touching moment came when he introduced “Waiting,” a song he wrote for a friend who had a stroke.
“I wrote this next song for a friend who is learning life all over again at 65 years old,” Graham said. The guitar
strings vibrated in the warm yellow light, evoking memories of life’s fragility.
Later, Graham introduced “Tasakaal,” an album he co-created with a neuroscientist in Idaho, designed to stimulate different brain frequencies for relaxation, meditation and concentration.
“Music has always been something that’s brought a lot of peace in my life,” Graham said. “And my hope is that this album brings a little peace to your life as well.”
When the microphone momentarily cut out, Graham didn’t miss a beat. He continued with “Farewell,” a piece to a late friend, followed by “The Nomad,”
a dynamic song inspired by his musical idol Michael Hedges.
Even without the assistance of the microphone, the rhythm was so exhilarating that it evoked a horse galloping across a grassland.
The energy surged when “Lighthouse,” a song for his sister and Graham’s first vocal performance of the night, was unveiled. His sonorous voice, along with the guitar, reflected his strong support for his sister.
“She had a very difficult life growing up,” Graham said before his performance. “I hope she hears it one day.”
Though the concert had come to its ending time, Graham rewarded the crowd with additional songs. “Tabula Rasa,” co-created with Andy McKee and Trevor Gordon Hall, and “Phoenix Rising,” a fan favorite with over five million YouTube views.
The final number featured a drumlike, high-energy piece, and as Graham clapped in rhythm, the entire hall joined
Trent was enrolled in the Emergency Medical Technician program to become a firefighter. He was so excited every time he came home from class to tell us all about what he learned at school that day. He was so excited to have a future in that field and to help others.
He was passionate about the motorcycle community and was part of the Coligo Motorcycle club. He absolutely loved riding his Harley and rode it every single day. He also loved animals — he had such a big heart. Everyone called him a big teddy bear. He was always someone everyone in his life could count on.
Trent Blakely was someone that everyone looked up to and admired. He was very loved by his family and friends.
Provided by Trent Blakely’s girlfriend, Jessica Gambill
in, ending the night on a high note.
After the show, fans lined up in the lobby to meet Graham one by one. Nestor Gutierrez, a longtime fan from Cupertino, said, “I’ve been listening to him for 10 years. His style is unique. I do like the way that he’s joking around. I wish this concert would be longer.”
“It is a really good experience as an audience to have an artist that is talking to you,” Sarah Gutierrez, Nestor’s wife, said.
Graham said the show was amazing, despite the technical issues.
“Playing live is like life — things happen, and you can’t let it get you down,” Graham said.
He spoke of picking up the guitar at 13, inspired by his father and other famous players, such as Michael Hedges and Antoine Dufour.
“With six strings and 12 notes, you can create another world to get lost and take people away for a little bit,” Graham said.
PHOTO BY LUIS APONTE TREJO
Calum Graham plays “Nomad,” a tribute in memory of virtuoso guitarist Michael Hedges, inspired by Hedges’ 1984 “Aerial Boundaries” album, in De Anza’s Visual and Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 24.
PHOTO BY MITCHELL PARK
Gordon Yang, 18, a dual enrollment student, holds up his press pass that Graham autographed on Friday, April 25.
6 FEATURES
Students find connection at Club Day Quarterly
By Carolyn Zhao LA VOZ STAFF
tradition offers the possibility of finding meaning outside the classroom
On the third Thursday of every fall, winter and spring, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the De Anza College Main Quad comes alive with an energy rarely seen during the rest of the quarter — it’s Club Day.
Students navigated through nearly 90 different clubs with the excitement that they might find a community of their own on campus. Live performances provided musical ambience, from musical numbers by the Music and Volunteering Association to student band HalfPastMidnight. Other students showcased their talent and hard work across the previous quarter, including intricately costumed and choreographed performances by KDCosmix, De Anza’s non-audition K-pop dance team.
If students do not see a club that reflects their interests, they can start their own by visiting the webpage of or getting in touch with the Inter Club Council, De Anza’s student-run governing body that oversees club affairs.
For many students, clubs are the heart of student life here at De Anza. Club experiences and communities often leave a stronger mark on students than the classes they sign up for quarter after quarter.
Many clubs leaned into creative advertising techniques to draw prospective members in.
Brian Nguyen, 24, psychology major, Tabletop Club officer, formerly Dungeons and Dragons Club, circled the Main Quad in a hooded cape holding up a game “dungeon master” guide and a goblin plushie he dubbed
his “son, Gobbo.”
“Dungeons and Dragons” is a group table-top roleplaying game.
“Here you can become a dungeonmaster and create a world for your friends to enjoy and interact as characters, who can be wizards, fighters, bards and feature goblins,” Nguyen said.
Coming into Club Day, Nguyen had specific goals in mind, from finding new members – particularly Gamemasters – to discovering and networking with new clubs. This quarter, he hopes to help facilitate more cross-club collaborations, but his vision for the club’s future is simple.
“(We plan to) keep doing what we’re doing, really. I’m trying to get more games, get people playing, get people happy and grow our community,” Nguyen said.
Alexis Miranda, 22, automotive technology major and president of the Auto Tech Club, said he never joined a student group at De Anza prior to his current club.
Miranda joined the club after growing an interest in the automotive field and enrolling in De Anza’s automotive technology daytime program. The club is unique in that only students enrolled in the day program are eligible to join.
“I stayed in the club because I wanted to be part of something bigger on campus,” Miranda said. “I’m basically friends with most, if not everyone in this club, which is kind of cool…We spend five days (a week), five hours a day together… so there’s a sense of community, and it’s almost like family since you see them so often.”
Miranda said club traditions help give his involvement a greater sense of meaning.
“To me, the club is all about the generations of students who’ve come through… Our club cars tell the story every year, we make small changes and tweaks to make them a little better
for track (racing) days,” Miranda said. “Each group leaves their mark. The club means being part of something bigger than just one year. It’s about carrying on what others started and making it even better.”
Advertising with cardboard trifolds, ringing voices and mini games, Club Day offers the promise of providing a niche for everyone. Beyond the classroom, this is the beating heart of De Anza student life, where students form communities, explore their dreams, and make memories that can last longer than those gathered from class units.
By Grace Gutiérrez LA VOZ STAFF
Among butterflies and under shady trees, students and faculty explored, learned and discovered at the Kirsch Center and Cheeseman Environmental Study Area during the center’s first Earth Day event on April 29.
Throughout the area, six stations were spaced out with activities ranging from educational scientific exhibits, hands-on eco-experiments, themed games and plant dissections.
Mesh butterfly habitats sprawled across various rooms in Kirsch Center, with monarch caterpillars inching around inside, some already cocooning.
Eventgoers were taught about the monarchs’ life cycle, their migration and how plants, such as milkweed, help them survive.
The ESA is a lush 1.5 acre natural garden, with over 400 species of native plants, a freshwater marsh and waterfall.
“What we want students to take away is just to see how beautiful the ESA is and the biodiversity here, because a lot of people don’t know that the ESA even exists,” said Elif Ipekci, 20, studio arts major and president of the Zero Waste Club.
“We wanted to make a game that’s both fun and informative that shows people that the ESA is a really great place that you might not even know about, and we want people to be involved,”
visitors made their own seed balls using repurposed paper pulp.
vides us through our ecosystem services and getting in touch with that seems to be kind of a gateway for students.”
De Toro explained that the gardens and Kirsch Center are a living classroom and hold the answers to many questions students may have.
Tranquil gardens and scavenger hunts at Kirsch Earth Day connects students with nature
“‘The air is smoggy, where does that come from?’ ‘My grandfather got cancer, where does that come from?’ A lot of students have similar observations and they don’t find those questions answered in some of the other classes,” De Toro said. “They come here and they realize this is a space where they can explore these different topics around our environment and humans.”
The Earth Day event was a collaboration between DASG, the environmental studies department and environmentally focused clubs, working together to create a new tradition as they plan to make this a yearly event.
Michi Ozaki, 20, computer cience major and De Anza Student Government chair of Environmental Sustainability hailed it as a big success..
Ozaki said he hoped attendees got the opportunity to learn and appreciate the Kirsch Center, the ESA and the resources both have to offer.
The Earth Day event showcased De Anza’s calm, scenic hidden gem, and left many in awe of the area and what it has to offer.
Jill Quigley, English faculty member, learned about the event from De Toro and observed how the atmosphere seemed different at the Kirsch Center and ESA than around the rest of campus.
“I feel like once you’re here, you don’t want to leave,” Quigley said. “There’s a calm energy here, and it’s really a miraculous place where student learning feels like play and political at the same time.”
Dancers from KDCosmix perform “LUNA” by ONEUS in the Main Quad at Club Day on April 24.
PHOTO BY FRANK MAYERS
A student and environmental biology professor Gayatri Pal hold up a collection of seed balls embedded with wildflower seeds on Tuesday, April 29. Seed balls are decomposable seed containers that can be directly planted in the ground. Earth Day celebration
Ipekci said. Alicia De Toro, chair of the environmental studies department, said that the place
PHOTO BY CAROLYN ZHAO
Women’s badminton sweeps
Every Mountain Lion advances to day two for an opportunity at states after an undefeated season
By Orly Bryan and Xitlaly Martinez
LA VOZ STAFF
Seven athletes from the undefeated De Anza women’s
team qualified for state after competing in the Coast Conference Championship tournament in the De Anza College gym on May 1.
As a team, the Mountain Lions maintained a perfect 14-0 record over the season, and their 10-0 conference record placed them at the top of the Coast Conference.
MaiLan Vuong, 19, business administration major, and Makayla Than, 18, business major, qualified
for coast conference semifinals in singles matches scheduled May 2 against City College of San Francisco’s Jacqueline Leong and Fresno City College’s PJ Yang, respectively.
“My mindset was a little bad because I was feeling under the weather,” Than said. “But after the first game which I played against one of my teammates, I locked in and so my mindset was better toward the end.”
Vuong and Than also qualified for semifinals in their doubles team along with Natalee Lam, 19, business major, Karina Chow and Jenny Thai, 19, psychology major. Doubles teammates Chow and Thai will compete against their teammates Than
and Nguyen for Coast Conference champions.
Vuong knocked out teammate Thai in the singles quarter finals.
“I was going into today lighthearted because this is my last year on the team,” Thai said. “I almost never win against MaiLan, but I have no regrets.”
Thai will compete for fifth seed in the finals against Fresno City College athlete Khushi Kaur.
“I’m very proud that on the second day everybody on the De Anza team will have a chance to qualify for states,” said head coach Mark Landefeld. “We haven’t had anybody completely eliminated.”
The Mountain Lions made it clear that they are not just team champions — they are individual threats. Landefeld said they dedicated the tournament to a teammate that missed the end of the season because of discomfort with the current situation for international students on campus.
“Natalee lost her regular doubles partner who couldn’t stay in the United States,” Landefeld said. “That means the team is playing thinking about their missing sister.”
As the top team of their conference, De Anza will travel to the City College of San Francisco on May 8 to face the Pasadena City College Lancers, which maintained a 10-0 re-
cord in the South Coast Conference. The winning team will be crowned state champions.
De Anza’s top singles players that qualified after the first day of coast conference:
• MaiLan Vuong
• Makayla Than
• Jenny Thai
• Natalee Lam
• Karina Chow
De Anza’s doubles teams that qualified after the first day of coast conference:
Jenny Thai and Karina Chow
MaiLan Vuong and Natalee Lam Adrienne Lee and Jamie Min
Mountain Lions dominate the pool
Men’s swim captures conference championship, women’s places fourth; two athletes earn top honors
By Averie Choi LA
De Anza College’s swim teams showed their talents at the Coast Conference Championships held from April 17 to April 19 at the College of San Mateo.
12 community college teams competed in the conference. The Mountain Lions men’s team won the championship with 620.5 points, and the women’s team placed fourth with 446 points.
Joyce Lin, 25, kinesiology major, won all her individual events: 200yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard breaststroke.
As a high-point scorer, Lin also earned the 2025 Coast Conference Female Swimmer of the Year.
Taesu Yim, 21, business administration major, won the men’s 500yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle, receiving three medals. Yim was selected as the 2025 Coast Conference Male Co-Swimmer of the Year.
Yim said he was satisfied that his team was ranked at the top, but was disappointed in his personal performance.
“I have to credit my coach Tammy (Hopkins), for really pushing some of the finer details of racing,” Yim said.
Jaden Reyna, 19, psychology major, said her personal goal is to show she can achieve anything, even if she may not be the fastest swimmer.
“During the meets, it’s really motivating to see your teammates on the side of the walls, cheering you on and yelling for you … to know that you’re loved,” Reyna said.
Reyna’s next goal is to compete in events touted as “the most challenging,” such as the 1,650-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard butterfly.
Danielle Altman, head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming teams, expressed satisfaction with her athletes’ performances.
“We had some great swims and some Coast Conference champions today, which is awesome,” Altman said. Altman said swimming is a sport that is done year-round, and athletes build their progress from the fall into the winter quarter.
“It takes a lot of dedication from the swimmers and divers,” Altman said. “Practice is what gets it done.”
Taesu Yim, 21, business administration major, holds his swim cap after winning the men’s 200-yard freestyle on April 18.
VOZ STAFF
Members of the De Anza men’s and women’s swim teams gather to cheer on their teammates at their event on April 18.
badminton
Makayla Tran, 18, business major, lunges forward for a precise return on May 1 in the De Anza gym.
Adrienne Lee, 18, business major, prepares to serve during a doubles badminton match. Jamie Min, 21, economics major, steps back and waits for the first attack on May 1 in the De Anza gym.
PHOTO BY AVERIE CHOI
PHOTO BY AVERIE CHOI
PHOTO BY AVERIE CHOI
PHOTO BY AVERIE CHOI
OPINIONS
Art and AI: Embracing new creative innovation
Technology is not the enemy of artistry
By Mariana Frias Da Costa LA VOZ STAFF
The conversation about AI in the art world inspires strong emotions from all sides. The fears that AI is taking jobs and devaluing artistry stand at the forefront of AI resistance.
But what would it mean to stop clinging to fear, and instead allow yourself to envision what AI can offer artists?
As AI technology develops, artists should be encouraged to explore the possibilities of these new tools.
The biggest issue with people who are passionately against AI art is that there’s no real conversation. It quickly turns into name-calling and accusations of laziness and being uncreative.
Consequently, this completely invalidates the experiences of artists who choose to incorporate AI into their work for a myriad of reasons.
AI can be an excellent way to get out of a creative block or sudden lack of inspiration. Write a short prompt, and AI can generate dozens of ideas for what to create next.
The intention of creating and the creation itself comes from within, and AI simply offers a way to get you started.
AI also enables people to create art with little cost. Artists who have imagination but lack technical skills or resources can use AI tools to bring their visions to life without barriers.
This isn’t the first time the art world has felt threatened by emerging technologies.
A similar situation occurred when the phenomenon of photography was introduced, which was regarded by many artists as a mechanical way of capturing moments that lacked artistic skill.
Henrietta Clopath, a late 19th-century photographer and artist, said, “Some people seem to think that when the process of taking photographs in colors has been perfected and made common enough, the painter will have nothing more to do.”
Today, people widely accept photography as an art form. Similarly, AI can’t replace artists. It can only serve to expand what is possible for artistic expression.
AI can never reproduce true human creativity
Artists are losing security and we don’t care
A @lavozdeanza Instagram poll found 88% of 52 respondents do not approve of the use of AI for making art.
AI art is not “art” — it is a statistical presentation of the most common results for a given prompt. It fundamentally cannot synthesize or create new ideas; it is total regurgitation of every piece of data it has been fed.
A Google search about AI and copyright lawsuits will bring up a plethora of active suits against AI companies. Companies illegally shovel content from the internet to train their models, copyrighted content included.
Just recently, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, released its image generator to the public. An online trend quickly followed, prompting users to turn themselves into Studio Ghibli-style characters. The AI-generated posts went viral, sparking debate and backlash about the ethics of using AI to recreate known intellectual property.
AI art is not so much a philosophical debate but rather a question of artists’ legal rights. Are we going to condone an artist’s work receiving no legal protection against being gobbled up and repackaged for someone else’s profit?
The concept of companies favoring AI over human creators isn’t far-fetched. Last December, Coca-Cola’s annual Christmas ads were entirely AI-generated. If a multibillion-dollar company is choosing to forgo employing actual production hands, actors or set designers, what does that spell for the future of the industry?
How many potential creatives will never have the urge to pick up a pen, pencil or camera? Why try if AI can take their place?
AI has already made a dent in the way students approach school and learning. It’s just easier to ask a large language model, such as ChatGPT, to write an essay than to actually put in the effort. Students are entirely missing the concept of learning and developing the skill of writing.
The ability to persevere and problem-solve is the basis to everything, including art. Writing a prompt into an AI model for an end result fundamentally steals the opportunity for growth and creation from everyone.
You’ve ruined the USC #SpeakYourMIND challenge for me!
Am I really the only one who actually cares about mental health anymore?
By Mitchell Park LA VOZ STAFF
Disclaimer:Thisissatire.While inspiredbyreality,allcharactersand eventsarefictional.
Mental health is obviously the defining crisis of our time, yet every time I bring it up, not a single person cares to sit down for 45 minutes to an hour to discuss the issue on my podcast. This is why I was so moved when young people across the nation started dumping buckets of cold water on themselves and recording it, nominating each other to perpetuate the ice bucket chain.
Naturally, as my friend group’s No. 1
mental health advocate, it was my idea that we hop on the trend. To my dismay, I discovered these people, and society, weren’t participating in the #SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge for the right reasons.
My friend Ira Tate was nominated first. We splashed her, laughed, shivered and tagged on Instagram. But when the water dried, I received no “Ira Tate mentioned you in her story.”
Two days passed and her feed was flooded, but my phone? Drier than the Sahara desert.
How can you participate in a trend about mental health and exclude the designated mental health advocate in
the friend group?
It is my duty to speak up for the voiceless!
So, I messaged the group chat, calmly educating them en masse on their ignorance.
Ira had nominated a nobody, an acquaintance at best, Lou Zher. Ira’s solution? Ask him to tag me.
I was annoyed. Reasonably so. Lou isn’t a core member of our group and frankly, he’s a poor on-camera personality, but I remembered the activism I was doing and gave in.
I bought the ice. I even put water in the bucket, and guess what? Lou had the nerve to try backing out.
He said he was nervous to post. “Social anxiety” and “body issues” or something. I gently reminded him how inconsiderate and selfish he was.
There are people around the world
whose lives literally depend on the #SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge.
Lou hasn’t emerged from his room since posting. I’m sure he’s fine.
More importantly, Lou nominated me! When I finally uploaded my video, after overcoming the countless challenges and society’s stigma against mental health, nobody swiped up.
None of my “friends” even liked it.
I’m starting to suspect they have a separate group chat.
No matter. What do friends have to do with mental health anyway? I didn’t begin this journey for the likes. Besides, martyrs for social justice rarely trend.
I’m starting my own challenge for men’s mental health.
The #ScaldingMenChallenge. We all dump boiling water on ourselves to
protest how our friend group is not cool at all right now. And the cherry on top? I’m not tagging any of them. It’s time the public is finally made aware of this plot to exclude good people from viral trends.
DM me if you’re down to sit down and talk on my pod.
ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY DIAZ
By Sam Eaton LA VOZ STAFF
ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY DIAZ