De Anza's Jadhari Young earns 3C4A Achievement Award
BURBANK -- De Anza College football student-athlete Jadhari Young was honored by the Community College Counselors/Advisors Academic Association for Athletics as the male recipient of its 2025-26 Achievement Award on Wednesday afternoon.
The award was presented by De Anza's athletic counselor Louise Ortiz at the Celebration of Scholar Athletes luncheon at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank in front of several hundred 3C2A Convention attendees.
Young and Pasadena City College basketball star Celine Bolton-Ford were the two winners - among 28,000 systemwide student-athletes - and they also participated in a convention Q&A panel following the ceremony.
Both shared about overcoming personal hardships during their careers, and highlighted the important roles that athletic counselors and advisors have at the community college level. They credited much of their success to athletic department staffs and campus resources - including tutors, mentors, and mental health professionals.
In his two years helping lead De Anza to consecutive 10-0 regular seasons, Young earned All-Conference honors (twice), All-Region, and All-American status. He recently completed his associate's degree, carrying a 3.52 cumulative GPA – and is currently deciding on four-year scholarship offers.
Known for his physical style of play, toughness and nose for the endzone, Young finished his De Anza career with 79 receptions for 928 yards and 11 touchdowns.
De Anza head coach Joe D'Agostio said: "Jadhari is one of the most inspiring individuals I have coached in my career. He embodies perseverance, growth, and the mission of student success … he will continue to positively impact every community he becomes part of."
De Anza is the first college to boast two winners from the sport of football (Ire Akinsola, 2022-23).
Below are excerpts from Young's award acceptance speech:
"Good afternoon.
First, I want to thank the 3C4A for this incredible honor. Being named as one of the award recipients is humbling; to be recognized among all the talented athletes across California community colleges is special. Congratulations to all of the other winners.
My name is Jadhari Young, and my life has been defined by trauma, survival, and ultimately my own transformation.
At four years old, my parents were murdered in my home with me there. I was too young to understand death, but old enough to feel fear, instability, and confusion every single day after. My older brothers became my whole world. My oldest brother stepped into a role no young man should ever have to carry, trying to raise us while still building his own life. We did the best we could—but grief, limited resources, and unprocessed pain followed me into my teenage years.
By 15, I was incarcerated. I was angry, lost, and convinced that my life story had already been written. For two years in youth incarceration, I felt less like a child and more like a number. I truly believed failure was my future.
After my release, I moved through group homes and struggled to find purpose. Just before my senior year of high school, my brother regained custody of me. I trained all summer believing football was my way forward—only to be ruled academically ineligible weeks before the season. I earned my GED, but I felt invisible. Then COVID hit, and I found myself working a minimum-wage job, isolated and directionless.
At 20 years old, everything changed.
Through a connection, I was given an opportunity at De Anza College. When I arrived in Cupertino, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time: hope. Coach D'Agostino and the entire staff didn't see my past. They saw my potential. They poured accountability, structure, and belief into me.
Through De Anza's FAST Program and weekly sessions with Dr. Will, I began confronting trauma I had buried for years. I chose to pursue therapy. I chose to heal. For the first time, I wasn't just trying to survive … I was trying to grow.
Because of that support, my life looks completely different today. I've been on the Dean's List three times. I've earned All-League honors twice, been named All-State, and achieved All-American status. I hold a 3.52 GPA and just graduated with my Associate Degree in March.
But for me this award is not just about stats, honors, or a GPA.
This award represents healing. It represents discipline. It represents a child who once believed he had no future, standing here today with scholarship opportunities and a vision for his life.
De Anza College didn't just educate me – it saved me. In the quiet of Cupertino, I realized how chaotic my life had been. And in that quiet, I also realized something powerful: love, structure, and belief can rewrite a person's story.
I want to thank both my brothers (Aviance my oldest brother who is here today) for never giving up on me. I want to thank all my coaches, my teammates, our trainers, my counselor, Louise, advisor Bailey, AD Ron Hannon, Dean Eric, Coach Dags and everyone else at DA who chose to see more in me than my mistakes. And I want to thank every kid out there who feels lost, angry, or forgotten – because I was you.
Your past does not define your future. This award belongs to my mother who loved & believed in me before I could have believed in myself.
Thank you!"
- Courtesy De Anza College Athletics