Immigration rights activist to speak as part of President’s Lecture Series

Vargas founded the “Define American” nonprofit organization, which seeks to inspire dialogue about the criteria people use to define who is an American. Vargas is an undocumented immigrant who emigrated from the Philippines to America at age 12. He revealed his status in a New York Times article he wrote in 2011 with the intent of advocating for the DREAM Act and promoting dialogue about the United States’ immigration system. 

“I am an American. I just don’t have the right papers,” he says. 

Vargas also has an extensive journalism background having worked for the "San Francisco Chronicle," "The Huffington Post," the "Philadelphia Daily News" and the "Washington Post." He was a part of the "Washington Post" team that reported on the Virginia Tech shooting in 2008, which earned them the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in both online and print formats. 

President’s Lecture Series: A Conversation with Jose Antonio Vargas 

1 p.m. talk

Lincoln Park Student Center, room 120 A/B