Marina Chakmakchi, MPPM, L.L.M.

As part of the Office of Equity, Inclusion, & Community Impact, Marina Chackmakchi works as the Global Talent Navigator to ensure sufficient resources are provided to international USM students, faculty and staff, and community members.

Meet Marina

Roadmap for Internationally Trained Professionals

Your International Education Matters 

Intended Audience: Prospective students with prior education and credentials from abroad seeking to pursue their education at USM

Goal: To help internationally-trained professionals make informed academic and career choices. Please click here to view additional materials prepared by the Global Talent Navigator.

Trainings, Workshops, and Presentations

 “Understanding Forced Displacement and Supporting Immigrant-Origin Students”

This session will share information about the unique experiences and challenges of immigrant-origin students and internationally trained professionals. It was designed to provide staff and faculty with:

  • A general overview of global forced migration 
  • US refugee resettlement process 
  • Immigrant-origin students at USM

“Welcome Corps on Campus: Building a Welcoming Campus”

This session explains the differences between the Refugee Resettlement Initiative and the Welcome Corps on Campus program. Both offer higher education pathways available to displaced populations in the US.

“New Americans in Androscoggin County”

This session dives deeper into the report prepared by the American Immigration Council in partnership with the University of Southern Maine. It details the economic impact and workforce potential of immigrants in Androscoggin County.

“American Workforce Culture” (offered to multicultural USM students in internship programs)

This session is based on the Guide for Worker Justice in Maine by the Southern Maine Workers’ Center and helps multicultural students better understand their workplace rights.

“Forced Migration and Higher Education”

This session will explore the challenges and opportunities faced by forcibly displaced individuals (refugees, asylum seekers, humanitarian parolees) in accessing and succeeding in higher education.

“Resource Sharing Session for Multicultural Students”

This session offers students relevant resources available at USM and in Maine.

“Immigrant-Origin and Internationally Trained Students at USM“

This session dives deeper into the report on immigrant-origin and internationally trained students at USM and explains the report findings and recommendations.

“USM Roadmap for Internationally Trained Professionals: The Value of Foreign Education”

This session will be helpful to prospective students who have prior college education from other countries and intend to study at USM. The target audience is local Maine immigrants.

“Cultural Awareness in the Workplace” (offered to employers in collaboration with the Career Hub)

This session will be helpful to Maine employers who hire USM multicultural students as interns. It covers challenges and opportunities, and offers recommendations.

“New Americans in Androscoggin County”

This session dives deeper into the report prepared by the American Immigration Council in partnership with the University of Southern Maine. It details the economic impact and workforce potential of immigrants in Androscoggin County.

Refugee Resettlement and Higher Education

The USM Refugee Support Cohort has been convened to take concerted action to help integrate refugees into the greater Portland and Lewiston-Auburn communities as well as work to promote social cohesion and connection. By providing refugees with opportunities to learn and interact with members of the campus community and Maine community at large, USM will help to break down stereotypes and build bridges across cultures. Refugees bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their new communities; USM will benefit from this diversity by integrating refugee perspectives into our research, teaching, and programming. In addition, connecting refugees with the Maine community fosters mutual belonging and solidarity.


Two cohorts of USM faculty and staff have gone through this training and are currently working on the action plan. The training was provided by Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR) in partnership with the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) and its Refugee Resettlement Initiative (RRI) and focused on transforming refugee resettlement through higher education. This training builds the capacity of champions in higher education to develop ecosystems of support for refugee resettlement and integration while deepening local students’ place-based and experiential learning.