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<\/a>Qui\u00f1ones has emerged as an inspiring keynote speaker, combining his moving life story with a wide-ranging career in TV journalism that has spanned more than three decades. Titled \u201cA 20\/20 Vision for America: Building Bridges, Not Walls,\u201d his presentation at UT will touch on his odds-defying journey, celebrate the life-changing power of a college education, champion the Latino American Dream, and provide thought-provoking insights into human nature and ethical behavior.<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019re extremely pleased to have John Qui\u00f1ones speak here,\u201d said Dr. Michele Soliz, assistant vice president for student success and inclusion. \u201cBased on his incredible journey, I\u2019m sure many of our students will draw on his personal stories and professional advice to aspire to their own successful career through obtaining their degree at UT.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in San Antonio in 1952 to a Spanish-speaking family, Qui\u00f1ones did not learn English until he began school at age 6. When he was 13, his father was laid off from a janitorial job, so his family joined a caravan of migrant farm workers. They traveled to Traverse City, Mich., to harvest cherries, and then later picked tomatoes near Toledo. It was here that his dad challenged Qui\u00f1ones to choose education over a life of manual labor.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the federal Upward Bound program, Qui\u00f1ones prepared for college and eventually earned his master\u2019s degree from Columbia University\u2019s School of Journalism. Among numerous accolades, Qui\u00f1ones has received a Gabriel Award for a poignant report that followed a young man to Colombia to reunite with his birth mother after two decades, a CINE Award for a report in Israel about suicide bombers, and an ALMA Award from the National Council of La Raza.<\/p>\n