Senior Spotlight: Jose Dasilva (12-1)
Helena Saven (12-4)
Photo courtesy of Helena Saven (12-4)
Tell us about your ultimate career.
I started playing ultimate in the spring of the sixth grade. Dr. Shapiro is one of the coaches for the philly middle school league so I was playing in that. But I didn’t really take it seriously until the spring of ninth grade when I played with the Masterman team and we went to the state tournament in Pittsburgh and it was super fun. And fast forward to now, I’m trying out for Teen USA under 20 in late February or early March. That’s going to be in Florida.
Why are you drawn to Taylor Swift’s music?
I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift; she’s one of my favorite artists. When I was little my sister listened to a lot of Taylor Swift and I remember she got all the albums as they were coming out on CD. We would put them in the CD player and listen for hours and hours and hours and she got all the deluxe editions and everything. That’s where it started. Since then I’ve developed my own taste for her music. She’s really talented vocally and her lyrics are relatable to a lot of people. Growing up, it was something that was always playing. As I got older, I relistened to those words and found different meanings as more stuff happened in my life. You don’t really go through heartbreak as an eight-year-old. As I was growing up, a lot of those lyrics applied to me and they got a lot more personal. “Fearless” from the album Fearless is the best song from her best album.
What is your biggest fear?
I’m really afraid of snakes. My dad was afraid of snakes and he passed it onto me.
If your mom were to write a book about you, what would the title be?
“My Beautiful, Amazing, Talented, and Handsome Youngest Son.”
What will you miss most about Masterman?
I’ll miss having friends in other grades. In Masterman, through clubs and sports, you make a lot of friends who aren’t in the same grade and even though they’re not your closest friends those relationships are still important and meaningful, especially to me. I’ve got a lot of young bouls in all the grades. Being a mentor and friend to them is a great experience and it’s different in Masterman because it’s so small. You have pretty strong relationships with people in other grades.
What is the weirdest thing that happened to you here?
Ms. Romeo killed all the fish in fifth grade. She killed all our fish because she left them in the heater overnight and she won’t be happy to see that but it is what it is.
What is on your bucket list?
I want to run a marathon, that would be really cool. Having fun, I think, is really important. As people get older, fun takes on a different meaning. Also biking a century (100 miles) all at once, like in a day.
Which fictional character do you most relate to and why?
Rigby from Regular Show. He’s funny, he packs a punch, but he can also be very introspective when it’s not expected from him as a character.
A concluding message from Jose: Play Ultimate in the spring. Join MOFO. That’s all I have to say.