Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) will host a conversation with Victor Rios, UCSB MacArthur Foundation professor, as he tells his story of overcoming adversity and his mission to empower community members, parents, and at-promise youth.

The talk will be 5-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 27 at El Camino School auditorium, 320 North J St., Lompoc.

Lompoc Unified School District and Rios have partnered over the past two school years to build the capacity of LUSD administrators, teachers and staff to create a safe, supportive environment, where students are challenged to be career- and college-ready upon graduation. Rios and his team have also invited middle and high school students into the program.

In his presentation to Lompoc families, Rios will share his transformative journey from being homeless, incarcerated in a juvenile detention center, and a gang member on the streets of Oakland, California, to earning a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and becoming a celebrated author.

Rios’ talk is based on his memoir “Street Life: Poverty, Gangs, and a Ph.D. Second Edition.”