CSUCI Conference for Social Justice in Education on March 1 to feature Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist/author Sonia Nazario

Courtesy photo.

CAMARILLO — In order to fully experience the perils of a young migrant’s journey from Honduras to the U.S., Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario rode 1,600 miles clinging to the top of seven trains – twice. Her experience turned into a series in the Los Angeles Times, followed by a 2006 book entitled “Enrique’s Journey.”

Nazario will draw from her experience retracing the steps of the young Honduran refugee when she speaks at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s 2025 Conference for Social Justice in Education, scheduled for Saturday, March 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at CSUCI’s Grand Salon.

Conference organizers have some openings for presenters at the conference, entitled “Trauma, Resilience, and the Impact of Migration: A Call for Humanizing and Loving Practices in Education.”

Educators, counselors, students, caregivers or anyone interested in a critical discussion about the education of migrant children is invited to attend, or to contact schoolofeducation@csuci.edu if you are interested in being a conference presenter.

“This is a key audience of people who come in contact with migrant children who have to be put in the public school system,” said CSUCI School of Education Social Media & Events Specialist Paola Dios. “The culture shock among these children is significant – especially young children. This conference will explore how we can approach these children with intricate backgrounds in the classroom.”

There will be presentations and afternoon workshops among educators, researchers, counselors and others to share research and practices that participants can take back to the classroom.

Nazario’s research and experience with migrant children is deep and extensive. She grew up in Kansas, and later, in Argentina and has written extensively about Latin America and Latina/os in the United States.

Nazario’s 30-year career as a journalist began at the Wall Street Journal before joining the Los Angeles Times in 1993 where she covered tough issues like hunger, drug addiction and immigration. She is currently working on a second book about one mother’s fight against violence in her neighborhood and is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times on immigration and refugees.

Nazario spent two years reporting on and writing “Enrique’s Journey,” which appeared as a series in the LA Times that won numerous awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes – one for feature writing and the other for feature photography. Nazario later expanded the series into a book, which also won numerous awards and became a national bestseller.

The book tells the story of Enrique’s desperate mother, who entered the U.S. illegally so she could find work and send money back to Enrique and his sister, whom she left with relatives in Honduras. Just as Enrique had done, Nazario rode the tops of trains along with other migrants headed for the U.S. border. She got permission from the Mexican government for her project and was able to get some protection from the gangs that harass the riders but faced the same sort of danger Enrique faced as a teenager when he traveled to the U.S. to find his mother.

“I almost got swiped off the train by branches. People riding on top of the train were calling back to warn me (about the branches), but the train is loud and I couldn’t hear them.”

Enrique did finally locate and reunite with his mother, but the scars he carried from poverty, abandonment and the terror he faced during his journey continued to plague him as he grew into adulthood. Nazario hopes to share his experience and her own in order to help educators and administrators create one of the few safe spaces these migrant children have ever known.

“I think schools need to be the social/emotional hubs that link these kids to food, to therapy, to legal associations,” Nazario said. “There are a lot of things that can be done in a classroom that can give these kids a fighting chance in education.”

To become a presenter or attend the 2025 Conference for Social Justice in Education, visit: 2025 Social Justice in Education Conference  . The conference is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required as seating is limited.

The School of Education at CSUCI invites artists of all ages and backgrounds both on and off campus to submit their original artwork for possible display in a conference exhibit that aligns with this year’s theme of “Trauma, Resilience, and the Impact of Migration.” For more information or to learn how to submit artwork, contact the School of Education at schoolofeducation@csuci.edu

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY CHANNEL ISLANDS

California State University Channel Islands?(CSUCI) is Ventura County’s only public university and opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the?CSU system. CSUCI is located between Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain, midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

The campus is nestled against the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and is a 10-minute drive from the Pacific Ocean. With more than 5,100 students, 27,500 alumni, and 1,000 employees, CSUCI is poised to grow in size and distinction, while maintaining one of the most student-focused learning environments in public higher education with more than 90 academic degrees, teaching credentials, certificates, and professional and community programs.

Connect with and learn more by visiting www.csuci.edu or CSUCI’s Social Media.

The University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs, events and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the respective area below as soon as possible, but no later than seven (7) business days prior to the event/activity:

CSUCI Studentsaccommodations@csuci.edu

CSUCI Employee and members of the public: angela.portillo@csuci.edu