NMSU to host educator summit

As debates over immigration, race and global conflict continue to shape classrooms, some educators say navigating those conversations has become increasingly difficult. An upcoming summit at New Mexico State University aims to give them tools to engage. 

The Educator’s Summit, set for April 11 at NMSU, is organized by the New Mexico Dream Team and will be co-hosted this year with NMSU’s Department of Borderlands and Ethics Studies. The event will bring together K–12 and higher education instructors, staff and trainees from across the region.  

“It is a terrifying time in America if you are an immigrant, if you’re undocumented, if you’re LGBTQ, disabled, not white, Muslim or part of other minoritized identities,” said Sophia Sangwanthong, organizing manager for the New Mexico Dream Team. “The Educator Summit is about empowering educators to create better policies and environments in their institutions.” 

Sangwanthong said the gathering is intended to create space for educators to connect and develop approaches to issues affecting their students. 

“We know that educators are scared to talk about these issues right now,” she said. “We’re going to create a forum where we can get together, share and develop strategies to take action.” 

Student organizer Alberto del Campo Hernandez said the summit reflects a broader moment shaping both education and community conversations. 

“This event is something that is needed in order to meet the political moment we’re in,” del Campo Hernandez said. “By bringing together and empowering educators, administrators and community leaders, we can strengthen our advocacy for one another.” 

He said the event will center the experiences of students whose identities are often at the center of those discussions. 

“I hope that by centering the voices of immigrant, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students in New Mexico, we can better understand how our lives are shaped by the current political climate,” he said. 

Dr. Manal Hamzeh, a professor in NMSU’s Department of Borderlands and Ethnic Studies, said understanding context is essential when approaching these topics in education. 

“You cannot teach and learn without knowing the history of the place that you’re in and the context of the moment,” Hamzeh said. 

She said educators play an important role in helping students navigate complex issues but emphasized that work does not happen in isolation. 

“Educators play a central role, but it’s always part of a collective effort with students, communities and others shaping the educational journey,” she said. 

Hamzeh said the region itself adds another layer to the conversation. 

“This is a borderlands region, where knowledge and education are contested,” she said. 

The event is free and open to the public, organizers said. She encouraged educators to approach these discussions collaboratively rather than alone. 

“Don’t do this work on your own—do it in a collective,” she said.