Now is the time to make your opinion about De Anza’s mascot heard, and you don’t want to pass up the opportunity to be a part of our school’s history.

The official De Anza College email sent out a brief survey to all students and faculty, asking for feedback on a list of preselected mascots that were tired and lacked thought.

This list included choices such as “Archers,” “67s,” “Defenders” and “Sun Devils,” along with an array of other wildly overused animal mascots that are greatly unfitting to the namesake of our school.

Some of the animals listed on the survey did relate to the state of California, but not so much to the heart of the campus.

“Wildcats” was obviously included on their lazy list, which is a perfectly respectable mascot if you attend school in a Disney movie, but I’m not interested in being part of something that cliché.

I would also love to know how “Lions” made it onto the list. I understood the other seven species they suggested, but how do “Lions” even closely resemble our school or location?

Thankfully, the survey did include a section to suggest your own ideas for a mascot, even though it required you to pick three choices from their list to even submit your own.

Since De Anza was named after a famous pioneer, Juan Bautista De Anza, my immediate thought was to pick a mascot based on exploration and discovery. We are a school after all, and we explore and discover new things as we learn.

Considering how poor the preselected choices were, I took my time to research a mascot that lined up with our location, community, and history.

My choice for De Anza’s mascot: the Trailblazer.

A trailblazer is defined as a pioneer and innovator; someone who leads the way through uncharted territory.

Not only was Juan Bautista De Anza a trailblazer for leading settlers safely from Mexico to San Francisco, but we together “pioneer and innovate” as part of the Silicon Valley.

I want a mascot that’s more than just a native animal species. We deserve a title that celebrates who we are as a community, and all the great things we have and will achieve.

I want to be a De Anza Trailblazer.