Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author Sonia Nazario will speak at Hesston College at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 9 in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary. The event is free and open to the public.

Nazario is the author of Hesston College’s 2012-13 common read for first-year students, “Enrique’s Journey” (Random House, 2006). The book chronicles the true story of Enrique, a Honduran boy, and his journey and struggle to reunite with his mother in the United States.

“It is an honor to have such an accomplished writer interact with Hesston College students and the community,” said First-Year Experience organizer and education instructor Marissa King.

Nazario will discuss immigration issues in the United States as well as her research for the book. Following the presentation, she will participate in a question and answer time and a book signing. For additional information about Nazario’s presentation, contact King at marissak@hesston.edu.

Nazario has spent more than 20 years reporting and writing about social issues for major newspapers including “The Los Angeles Times.”     

Hesston College’s First-Year Experience courses share immigration as a common area of study, and “Enrique’s Journey” is required reading for students enrolled in the courses. Students will conduct their own immigration related research to share with the larger community in the annual First-Year Experience Symposium event at the end of the fall semester.

“‘Enrique’s Journey’ is a narrative that increases understanding of the language and cultural context of the Latin immigrant, enabling students to participate in a variety of contexts and in culturally appropriate ways,” said Hesston Spanish instructor, Maria Day. “The opportunity to interact with Nazario will allow her narrative, as well as her personal story, to connect to each individual’s journey.”

Other fall First-Year Experience sponsored events include a plenary session with University of Kansas (Lawrence) American Studies professor Ben Chapel; a dialogue with the Director of the Office of Immigration Education for Mennonite Central Committee, Saulo Padilla; a multicultural film festival; and an Immigration and the Arts Week.