Editorials represent the viewpoint of the current La Voz editorial board.
Silicon Valley is one of the most innovative and well-resourced sectors of the United States, and De Anza College lies right at the heart of it, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from just looking at it.
De Anza lives up to its motto as “Tops in Transfer” and can foster a transformative experience for many; however, after they move on from community college, students may feel reluctant to wear the name as a badge of honor. But with strong instruction and a prime location that rivals many four-year universities, De Anza has a strong reputation, and can do more to bolster it.
However, the first step toward building a true legacy is offering resources that fully leverage De Anza’s advantages. Beyond the goal of transferring, our college administration should utilize the school’s prime location in the Bay Area and collaborate and provide professional opportunities with local universities and the Silicon Valley businesses that many of its students hope to work at one day.
De Anza serves as a bridge for many students toward a better future, but it misses out on opportunities to help students make the most of their time here. Nearly 30% of De Anza college students are the first in their families to go to college, and 42% are considered low-income, so every minute they invest is costly.
In the modern era, students need more than a college degree to be successful. Over 40% of 22 to 27 year old college graduates are underemployed as of 2025 — they work jobs that do not require their degree — compared to 34% of all college graduates. These harrowing statistics show that students need professional development alongside their college education to be successful postgrad.
Though De Anza invests in students in many ways, from cohort programs and scholarships to affinity groups, there are few to no professional development events on campus beyond what self-motivated students organize themselves. Scrolling through the De Anza events page, visitors are flooded with village hangout events and the occasional career fair, but professional speakers are few and far between.
Hangout events help build community on campus, but they only goes so far; representation matters and De Anza needs to help students see themselves in positions beyond campus.
While success comes in all forms, publicizing notable alumni would help highlight the impact De Anza has made and continues to make on the lives of students who walk through its doors.
Most De Anza students are largely unaware of the legendary figures who sat in the same classrooms they do now. In a poll conducted on the La Voz News Instagram, 27% of voters did not know that Steve Jobs attended De Anza.
Besides Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the co-founders of Apple, other notable figures include more recent alumni: local business owners such as Sameer Shah, co-founder of community mainstay Voyager Coffee, DJ Patil, the first chief data scientist for the U.S. under the Obama administration, and Sam Rodriguez, local artist.
De Anza is a short drive from the United States’ No. 1 public university, UC Berkeley, where about 200 De Anza students transfer every year. Given this striking number, De Anza should recognize a need for strong connections to Berkeley’s resources and opportunities for development by hosting more collaborative events.
However, today, nearly zero collaboration is institutionally driven; it starts and ends with De Anza and UCB clubs, such as the past year’s Muslim Student Association gatherings or De Anza’s Model United Nations club participation at UCB Model UN conferences.
Similarly, world-renowned Stanford University, a 20-minute drive away from campus, opens a significant portion of its events to the public, and several of its initiatives are eager to collaborate with the public and community colleges. De Anza should capitalize on these.
The Bay Area has no shortage of internships, public events and programs and resources for community college students and the general public. However, these resources go untouched by students when they sit out of sight. De Anza misses the chance to enhance student experiences and its own name by not widely publicizing opportunities.
Increasing the profile of these extracurricular opportunities would do more than just pad student resumés and help secure our futures; life experience and classroom education reinforce each other. Meaningful work can inspire directional change and fuel student motivation in the classroom.
Research has also shown that the more students feel supported in their school environment, the more they thrive. Simply making efforts publicly known can send strong signals to De Anza’s student body. Broadcasting these events could also foster a stronger sense of community and belonging on campus, elevating school pride.
Professional development is needed in the modern era alongside classroom education, and meeting this need is one achievable step De Anza can take to become a name students will proudly wear on their sleeves.
Students deserve more. With so many resources within arm’s reach in one of the most innovative areas of the country, De Anza has a responsibility to live beyond its slogan of “Tops in Transfer” and kickstart a real legacy for its students.
