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Basketball season is right around the corner, and one of the players you should have your eyes on is Cooper Wilson, a 6'3 wing and captain of the De Anza Men's basketball team.

Wilson is one of those players that can do it all. In De Anza's most recent game against City College of San Francisco (ranked #2 in the state), Wilson scored four points, had eight rebounds, and four assists.

So far, after 5 non-conference games, Wilson is averaging 12 points a game, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.

He describes himself as not being great at any particular aspect of the game, but a good all around player.

He can score in a variety of ways, prides himself on his hustle, and head coach Jason Damjanovic says that intangables and leadership are two of the most important qualities that Wilson brings.

"He is respected from his work ethic. He is not the best player we have, but he is probably the most respected player we have," says Damjanovic.

Wilson picked up basketball in middle school, when he was captivated by the Golden State Warriors and their astonishing '06-'07 "We Believe" season.

"I loved watching Baron Davis, he was so explosive and everyone loved watching him. I loved watching Stephen Jackson, all those guys, and now obviously who doesn't like Stephen Curry?" says Wilson.

Wilson attended Willow Glen High School, where he was captain during his sophomore and senior years, and where his team made the CCS finals during his junior season.

Last year, Wilson only averaged 2.1 points as a freshman, and struggled to find his role.

Wilson says that this year he knows his role, and the team is more motivated and focused during practices.

Coach Damjanovic says that the team has the potential to do better than last year.

"The goal every year is to win conference and make the playoffs. Every single year out of the eleven years I've been here. Win conference and make the playoffs. That's the only automatic bid, is to win conference," says Damjanovic.

Damjanovic says that Wilson epitomizes what it means to be a community college athlete, and praises him for how well he balances classwork and athletics.

Wilson is a kinesiology major and currently has a 3.2 GPA.

"You've got to go to practice, go home, get something to eat, and start your homework. You can't go home and lay around and you can't screw around," says Wilson.

He chooses to do kinesiology because he wants to be around the sport of basketball as he gets older, and he hopes to continue playing basketball at the college level after transferring from De Anza.

"We really want to go somewhere this year and we're trying to get everyone on this team scholarships. We want to win our league, we want to get a conference championship, it hasn't been done in a long time, and we feel like this is the year to do it," says Wilson.

Basketball is back in session, and this season is shaping up to be an interesting one for the Dons.

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La Voz Staff wins awards

Steven Ding, Staff Writer

November 14, 2015

De Anza College won five awards at the recent 2015 Journalism Association of Community Colleges Northern California Conference.

Held on Saturday Nov. 7 at Sacramento State University, the conference had 35 colleges represented and over 30 awards given out, in addition to hosting workshops and contest.

Contests were divided into two categories: publication awards and on-the-spot awards.

De Anza College won one on-the-spot award and four publication awards.

For a photo that she took at Burning Man 2014, Alena Naiden, 24, Features and Web Editor, won first place in the Feature Photo publication award category.

“It was a picture of a dust storm, and it’s very dangerous to take photos in a dust storm for the camera, but it was so beautiful that I still wanted to take that photo,” Naiden said.

Editors of La Voz submitted Naiden’s photo to the contest in spring without her knowledge, so she was surprised when her photo was displayed as the first place winner in that category.

Editor-in-chief of La Voz Adrian Discipulo, 21, won second place in Features Photo.

La Voz also won a third place award for Online General Excellence, and former reporter Lan Nguyen won a third place award for a critical review of the popular dating app Tinder.

For the on-the-spot awards, De Anza student Duane Soubirous achieved second place in the copyediting contest.

About 50 students took the 50-question copyediting test, which tested knowledge of Associated Press style, grammar and current affairs.

“I was very happy that I got second,” Soubirous said. “I knew I did well but I didn’t know how well I did.”

Although this is Soubrious’ first quarter taking journalism classes, he attributes his success on the copywriting test to a news writing class that he is currently taking with journalism instructor Farideh Dada.

Cecilia Deck, journalism professor at De Anza College and adviser for La Voz, said she is was proud of the staff’s accomplishments.

“I was really proud of the students who won the awards. They worked really hard and getting photo awards is great because photo is part of what we try to showcase in La Voz,” Deck said.

De Anza students will attend a state-wide JACC conference this spring in Burbank, and Deck said she expects the team to do well.

Adrian Disciplo’s photo won second place in the Features Photo category at the JACC NorCal Conference.The photo was taken at SADFEST 2K15 on Sunday May 24, as punk band Just Friends performed on stage.

- See more at: http://lavozdeanza.com/news/2015/11/14/de-anzas-experience-at-the-jacc-norcal-conference/#sthash.VSc7ApoA.dpuf

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Performance art helps students relieve stress

Steven Ding, Staff Writer

November 9, 2015

Photo Credit: Adrian Discipulo

Lena Nelson, 18, music major, sings a self written song in the Euphrat Museum for First Thursday Open Mic on Thursday, Nov. 13.

During the first Thursday of each month, when school is in session, a colorful event chock full of culture takes place in the Euphrat Museum of Art.

Hosted by the 4 Elements Hip Hop Organization and the Euphrat Museum, First Thursday Open Mic is a free event, and anyone is welcome to perform one or two pieces.

On Nov. 9, about 20 performers, mostly rap artists, but also spoken-word poets and singers, filled the hall of the Euphrat.

“We want it to be in the museum because this is performance art,” said McTate Stroman II, a De Anza staff member and host of the event. “And that’s the ultimate key. It’s to be able to see that performance art where it needs to be at.”

Stroman, a spoken word artist, does financial aid outreach at De Anza. Throughout the event, he introduced the artists and gave his perspective on each performance.

“You don’t have to come and perform, it’s really about being a college student,” said Storman. “I know you guys are learning a lot of information and taking it in. This is where you go to just let it out.”

On the stage, performers showcased what they were currently working on. With many different artists that night, it was like being at a De Anza student concert.

Brian Filice, 28, history major, found the event through the 4 Elements Hip Hop Organization at De Anza and performed for the first time.

“It was fun,” Filice said. “I enjoy music in general and I haven’t been to many open mics before, and I think it turned into a more relaxed, loose atmosphere as it went on.”

Tyrone Powell, 19, computer engineering major, who goes by the name MC Black Jesus performed one of the last songs that night.

“I use first Thursdays as a way to connect with other artists, to just talk to them and see if we can collaborate, Tyrone Powell said. “I love the people here, and they’re like really talented.”

First Thursday Open Mic is a lively event, and a definite good time. August Powell, 19, music major and a producer/artist, has been attending it for about a year.

“I like the energy. I like the people, and I like listening to other people and their creations because we all just create stuff,” August Powell said. “And the fact that we have this platform to do it at is cool because it lets everybody get things off their chest.

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- See more at: http://lavozdeanza.com/features/2015/11/09/performance-art-helps-students-relieve-stress/#sthash.2vdmAEQK.dpuf

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Bridge of Spies is two hour, 21 minute Cold-War era docu-drama directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan.

Written by Matt Charman, and later revised by Ethan and Joel Coen, the dialougue between characters is decent, but not truly poignant.

In this movie, Hanks plays Donovan, an upstanding, successful insurance lawyer tasked by the Brooklyn Bar Association to defend Rudolf Abel, a suspected Soviet spy (played by Mark Rylance).

Although the evidence against Abel is overwhelming, Donovan learns that it was obtained illegally, through an invalid search warrant.

His complaints, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, fall on deaf ears, as the courts are all too eager to convict a Soviet Spy despite the lack of legitimacy of the case.

Donovan is at least able to persuade one judge to avoid sentencing Abel to death. Instead, Abel is sentenced to 30 years imprisonment.

This happens because Donovan visits the judge at his house, and argues that maybe one day Abel could be used as a negotiating chip with the Soviets, and also on account of humanitarian reasons.

Around this time, the movie tells the story of Francis Gary Powers (played by Austin Stowell), an American pilot who is carefully selected and entrusted with the task of flying spy planes 70 thousand feet over Russia.

The planes are equipped with giant cameras that reveal with the press of a button, and just as Powers begins to reveal his cameras during his first mission, his plane is shot down and he is forced to make a daring escape.

Although he survives, he is captured, and is quickly tried and convicted for spying on Soviet Russia.

Donovan, who has grown fond of Abel and still keeps in contact with him, receives a letter from "Abel's wife", propositing a prisoner trade between Abel and Powers.

The CIA suspects that the letter is actually from Soviet Russia, and they accompany Donovan to East Berlin as Donovan negotiates the prisoner exchanges.

This movie was acted well and some parts felt authentic and true to life. However, other parts felt deviated from reality, and too fantastical.

Perhaps the runtime of the movie could have been shortened, and the investment into the quality of the movie could have been increased.

Altogether, it is a decent docu-drama, and worth a look if you are a fan of Spielberg and Hanks.

The movie gives good insight onto the conditions of the U.S.-Russia Cold War, and tells a mostly-true story about a real person, James B. Donovan, during that era.

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Dons fall despite forcing seven turnovers

De Anza's offense fail to capitalize on opportunities

Steven Ding, Staff Writer

November 5, 2015

De Anza College forced seven turnovers, but still managed to lose to visiting Santa Rosa College 10-8 in a game that went down to the wire on Saturday Oct. 31.

De Anza’s offense looked inexperienced and outmatched against their opponent, leading the team to punt seven times and go a measly 1-14 on third-down attempts.

“I think our defense came out and we did what we had to do. We just came up short,” said De Anza captain Sione Aonga.

Santa Rosa drew first blood when De Anza quarterback Ron Johnson, facing a 3rd and 7 on his own 32-yard line, threw an interception to Santa Rosa linebacker Ethan Roselli who returned it for a touchdown.

In the second quarter, Santa Rosa quarterback Mitch Hood had his pass intercepted by Dons linebacker Mathias Iafeta, setting up an offensive possession that led to De Anza’s first scoring drive of the game.

A completed pass, a rush, a pass interference penalty on the defense, and two more completed passes set De Anza up with 1st and 10 at Santa Rosa’s 17-yard line. Three plays later, De Anza kicker Pedro Comesana knocked in a 40-yard field goal which cut the lead to four.

At halftime the score remained 7-3.

In the third quarter, De Anza wide receiver Chris Nuttall muffed a punt, which Santa Rosa recovered at the Dons’ 24-yard line.

The turnover led to a Santa Rosa field goal, putting them up 10-3.

De Anza’s woes continued in the 4th quarter, when a punt by Cole Carrithers was blocked and recovered by Santa Rosa at the De Anza 20-yard line.

On the ensuing first down, Santa Rosa running back Justin James unleashed a 18-yard run leaving them right outside the goaline. The Dons defense came up huge on the next few plays and forced them to kick a field goal that hit the left upright and flew wide right.

After recovering a Santa Rosa fumble at the De Anza 1-yard line, the biggest offensive play of the game happened when Johnson found streaking De Anza wide receiver Rodney McKenzie down the sideline.

After making the catch and shedding his defender, McKenzie ran all the way to the Santa Rosa 1-yard line before he was tackled. The big play  lead to a De Anza field goal that shortened the Bear Cub’s lead to 10-6.

With time running down, De Anza’s chances to win were dwindling. After forcing Santa Rosa to punt from their 1-yard line, De Anza had the ball at their own 45 with 1:44 left in the game.

Their first play of the drive was a bit of trickery, Johnson passed the ball to McKenzie to his right, and McKenzie passed the ball to De Anza wide receiver Marque Watson for a 15-yard gain. A Santa Rosa defender stripped Watson after the catch, ending the drive and icing the game.

“I thought the defense played great, they created a lot of turnovers, and the offense didn’t take advantage of the turnovers, so my hats off to the defense,” said De Anza assistant head coach Tony Santos. “The offense has been struggling to score points the last three games.”

The Dons’ struggling offense will go on the road to play City College of San Francisco on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m.

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  De Anza punter Cole Carrithers gets his punt blocked during a play in the 4th quarter against Santa Rosa College on Saturday Oct. 31. (Photo Credit: Anthony Montes)

- See more at: http://lavozdeanza.com/sports/2015/11/05/dons-fall-despite-forcing-seven-turnovers/#prettyPhoto

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Housing is a Human Right event

Steven Ding, Staff Writer
October 23, 2015

Enrique Reynoso, a community organizer from Mexico City, was a guest speaker at “Housing is a Human Right!” an event in a packed conference room on Oct. 15 at De Anza College.

The presentation was organized by the Mexico Solidarity Network and the Autonomous University of Social Movements (AUSM) and was approved by De Anza Professor Cynthia Kaufman.

“It’s important for our students to get an international perspective on the problems of the world and also solutions,” Kaufman said.

Bárbara Suárez translates for Enrique Reynoso during a presentation entitled "Housing is a Human Right!" held October 15th at De Anza College.

Reynoso, a member of Organización Popular Francisco Villa de Izquierda Independiete (OPFVII), talked about his experiences demanding housing for disenfranchised people in Mexico City.

Working with translator Bárbara Suárez, Reynoso talked about how his collective of people would occupy private and government land in order to build communities where they could live.

Reynoso talked about the problems of addiction and delinquency that his communities were not immune to, while stressing the importance of education and culture in combating those problems.

He emphasized the fact that he did not consider his work building “housing projects”, but instead “life projects”.

Reynoso also discussed relations with local police, mentioning that police officers in Mexico City were often corrupt and that no police officers were allowed in their communities.

The event lasted about one hour and was preceded by a short presentation from Suarez about her work in Chicago.

- See more at: http://lavozdeanza.com/news/2015/10/23/news-housing-is-a-human-right/#sthash.jhrB4e3P.dpuf

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Dons blank Canada College, win fifth straight

The De Anza Men's Soccer team defeat Canada College 2-0, extending their winning streak to five.

Photo Credit: Anthony Montes

De Anza Forward Sahr Mattia maneuvers through Canada College defenders in the Dons' 2-0 win against Canada College.

Steven Ding, Staff Writer
October 13, 2015

The De Anza men’s soccer team defeated Canada College 2-0 on Friday Oct. 9, marking their fifth consecutive victory and second consecutive shutout.

Wearing pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness, De Anza College dominated control of the ball, and created a multitude of scoring opportunities throughout the game.

The first goal came in the 26th minute, when De Anza forward Fiston Kizungu received a cross, drew the attention of several Canada College players, and laid the ball off to midfielder Alexander Ligeti who found the back of the net, putting the Dons up 1-0.

Despite having many scoring chances in the first half, the Dons only scored once. Assistant coach Roheet Sen said the lack of scoring is not a concern, as long as the teams continue to create opportunities.

“For me as a coach, it’s more important to create these chances, because you got to figure with the quality we have, eventually they’re going to start hitting the back of the net,” Sen said. “So the negative is that we’re not scoring, but I think that the bigger positive is that we’re creating these opportunities.”

Photo Credit: Anthony Montes
De Anza forward Sahr Mattia runs through a Canada College defender during the Dons’ match against the Canada College Colts on Friday Oct. 9.

When the second half began, the Dons did not come out with the same focus and energy they had demonstrated in the first half.

Adjustments helped the Dons get back on course and they managed to produce a goal in the 67th minute when forward Miguel Castillo scored on a pass from midfielder Austin Montalvo, for De Anza’s second goal of the game.

“I just looked up real quick and saw the goalie out of place, so I just tried placing it as best as possible,” said Castillo.

The defense was especially impressive during Friday’s game, limiting Canada College to only one shot on goal, and helping the Dons maintain steady control of the ball and the game.

This victory marks a little over the halfway point of the regular season. De Anza head coach Rusty Johnson said he likes his team play thus far, but there is room for improvement.

“Come December we’d like to be peaking. We’re playing pretty well right now, but there’s a lot of things we’d like to improve on. We don’t want to peak too early though, so we’re working on things gradually day by day” said Johnson.

Photo Credit: Anthony Montes
The Dons’ 2-0 win over the Colts, marks their fifth straight win and second straight shutout.

De Anza College will host Ohlone College in their next conference game on Friday Oct. 23 at 4 p.m.

- See more at: http://lavozdeanza.com/sports/2015/10/13/dons-blank-canada-college-win-fifth-straight/#sthash.uFt3ATFU.dpuf