New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims, a former dean of freshmen at Stanford University, will speak at Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Lythcott-Haims, author of "How to Raise an Adult" and "Real American: A Memoir," will be the first speaker in the school's new annual "Sophie's Scholars Presents" speaker series, which will spotlight speakers with a social message.

Lythcott-Haims will lead a conversation on "being black and biracial in a country where black lives were never meant to matter," her experiences as a student of color in predominantly white spaces, and her insights on how communities can contribute to a more just society for all children, according to a press release from the school.

Sophie's Scholars is a Sacred Heart program that recruits and prepares high-achieving young students from local underserved communities for eventual entry into Sacred Heart. Given academic support and close mentorship by the school's faculty throughout their middle school years elsewhere, Sophie's Scholars then join Sacred Heart as ninth graders.

"This annual speaker event will help grow awareness around the Sophie's Scholars program, promote important conversations about social justice, and provide our community with opportunities to engage with important thinkers across various fields and academia," said James Everitt, director of mission initiatives and institutional planning at Sacred Heart.

After graduating from Sacred Heart, 94% of Sophie's Scholars graduate from a four-year college in four years, according to the school.

The speaker series will present one speaker annually at an event held at the end of January, Elizabeth Nixon, the school's associate director of communications and public relations, said in an email.

The event takes place in the Campbell Center for the Performing Arts at Sacred Heart Schools, 150 Valparaiso Ave. in Atherton. There will be a reception at 5:30 p.m. before Lythcott-Haims speaks at 6:30 p.m.

Register for the event here.

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