Expertise
Refugee Education, Agency and Identity; Refugee and Immigrant Advocacy and Issues; Community Advocacy, Migration Studies
Bio
Mary Helen O'Connor is director of the Center for Community Engagement at Perimeter College and a courtesy faculty member in the School of Public Health. Her teaching and research in migration studies, education, and rhetoric and composition explores refugee education, agency and identity. For more than a decade, O’Connor has been a volunteer and advocate for refugees and immigrants in Clarkston, Ga., one of the largest resettlement communities in the U.S. She lectures extensively on migrant students, refugee and immigrant issues, and community advocacy. She is the co-investigator and co-director of community engagement for Georgia State’s Prevention Research Center.