About 300 high school students gathered at De Anza on Nov. 16 to take part in the 7th annual Youth Voices United for Change leadership conference planned by De Anza students for high school students.
“I think this is a great way for highs schoolers to get a feel of De Anza,” said 20-year-old De Anza student Himi Arora. “When you put minds together, you come up with solutions for society.”
The participating high schools event were Andrew Hill, Evergreen Valley, James Lick, Leigh, New Valley, Overfelt, Willow Glen, Yerba Buena, and Palo Alto.
Students chose from 15 workshops, ranging from making Day of the Dead altars to learning dance techniques and rhythm to learning the art of storytelling.
Speaker Danny “Dandiggity” Le talked about his Vietnamese soldier father and farmer mother who came to America and settled in the most unlikely of places, Oklahoma.
“I was the uncool kid who wore shorts that were too short,” said Le. “I was the girls’ best friend because I listened, but they would never date me.”
He is now a poet who travels around the country to present his work.
After the workshops, students were assigned by school to different Community Action Network leaders. They reflected about issues in the communities and action plans.
High school students said the event was positive.
“You get to know more about colleges and it prepares us for the future,” said 16-year-old Jennifer Quezada of James Lick High School. “When I start college, I’ll definitely be more prepared.”