Juli谩n Jefferies is assistant professor in the Department of Literacy and Reading Education at California State University, Fullerton. He is interested in the daily lives of immigrant youth in schools and their representation in the media. Focusing on the experiences of undocumented youth, his research uncovers how society as a whole and schools in particular deal with the migration status of their students and how meritocratic ideologies work to justify the opportunity gaps for Latina/o youth in education. He has published on the framing of immigrant youth in public opinion and is currently working on research that alerts educators in K-12 institutions and policymakers on how to best serve undocumented youth in their schools. He is also interested in the pedagogy of international and experiential learning opportunities and coordinates a summer program in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, where he investigates how students gain cross-cultural competence and re-think their national, gender, ethnic and cultural identities.

Assistant Professor of Literacy and Reading Education
Director, Puerto Rico International Education (PRIE) Program
Director, Guadalajara Transnational Migration Program
Faculty Coordinator, Elevar Scholars, SOAR Grant