UMD starts program for students who want to help refugees in Prince George’s County

By Sofia Garay

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https://dbknews.com/2021/12/14/umd-program-refugees-prince-georges-county-mlaw/

Dr. Robert Koulish, the director of MLaw programs at this university, on Dec. 8, 2021. The MLAW Migrant Assistance Program recently launched as part of the Law and Society Minor. (Daryl Perry/The Diamondback)

In College Park, the University of Maryland acts as a bubble for students, senior government and politics major Presley Dawson said. But through the new MLaw refugee program, she hopes to build connections with the communities near the campus.

“As somebody born in America, I’ll never understand that journey … coming into a whole new life, a whole new cultural environment,” Dawson said. “And especially in the environment that America is today, I think just creating a sense of community is incredibly important.”

The university created a new MLaw program called MLaw Migrant Assistance Program. It was launched in October for students interested in pursuing a law and society minor who want to help refugees in Prince George’s County.

The program allows students to work with refugees in the surrounding community through tutoring and mentoring programs, while also being given the option to receive one credit for volunteering and connect it to their classwork, said MLaw programs director Dr. Robert Koulish.