KU School of Education & Human Sciences to host fireside chat with author and women’s health advocate Alejandra Campoverdi

LAWRENCE – In celebration of Black History Month, the School of Education & Human Sciences at the University of Kansas will host a fireside chat with Alejandra Campoverdi, author of the national bestselling book First Gen, and Nicholas Mitchell, assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum & Teaching, on Friday, February 23 in Joseph R. Pearson Hall (JRP) room 150.

A reception with light refreshments will be held from 9:30-10:00 a.m. prior to the discussion at 10:00-11:00 a.m. The fireside chat will be followed by audience Q&A and a book signing. The event is free and open to the public, and a virtual option will be offered for those who cannot attend in person. Individuals interested in attending in person or virtually are encouraged to RSVP now on the event page and mark their calendars. Registrants will receive Zoom log in information to the email used for registration.

Alejandra Campoverdi is a nationally recognized women’s health advocate, bestselling author, founder, producer, and former White House aide to President Obama. Alejandra's memoir, First Gen, examines the emotional toll of social mobility on those she refers to as "First and Onlys." A national bestseller, First Gen is the winner of the California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA) Golden Poppy Martin Cruz Smith Award and was longlisted for the Outstanding Works of Literature Award for the First Year Experience. First Gen is also the 2024 Opportunity Matters Book Club selection for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), a national book club for first-generation and low-income students at colleges and universities across the country.

Previously, Campoverdi served in the Obama White House as the first White House Deputy Director of Hispanic Media. She produced and appeared in the groundbreaking PBS documentary Inheritance and founded the LATINOS & BRCA awareness initiative in partnership with Penn Medicine’s Basser Center for BRCA. Alejandra holds a master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and graduated cum laude from USC.

About the KU School of Education & Human Sciences
Located in Lawrence, the KU School of Education & Human Sciences is a nationally ranked school, preparing educators and human science professionals as leaders since 1909. With more than 40 academic programs offered among five departments, at two different campuses and fully online, the school serves Kansas, the nation and the world by preparing individuals to become leaders and practitioners in education and related human science fields. Stay up to date by following the school on Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and its blog.