John Quinones, Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC’s highly rated newsmagazine Primetime—and anchor of its offshoot, What Would You Do?—will be the featured speaker for Amarillo College’s 2015 installment of the Distinguished Lecture Series.

Quinones, who has been with ABC for nearly 30 years, will deliver his lecture at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.

Cost of the event is $5 for AC students and $15 for everybody else, although $50 will get you reserved seating and admittance to a pre-lecture reception (6-7 p.m.). Get tickets by calling (806) 371-5000.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is orchestrated each year by AC’s Student Government Association, and proceeds go to student scholarships. Alexa Villanueva, programming officer for Student Government, said Quinones was chosen to speak because his message is closely tied to AC’s Institutional Theme for 2014-2015: Moral Courage.

“He will be inspirational because he is a powerful voice on social issues such as discrimination of gender, sexuality and race,” Villanueva said. “I feel that it takes not only courage but a sense of human morality to be able to share and discuss ideas that many of us would like to ignore or forget that they even exist.”

Quinones, who grew up in a poor family of migrant workers, spoke no English when he entered the first grade in San Antonio. He went on to become ABC’s first Latino correspondent, and has captured seven Emmy Awards since. Despite a busy network schedule, he finds time to speak to audiences throughout the country, encouraging people to pursue their dreams regardless of socioeconomic barriers. He particularly emphasizes the role education played in his success. He is the author of Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices.

A book-signing will be conducted following his lecture.

February 2, 2015