Supporting Undocumented Students

Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai is an immigration attorney whose practice assists businesses, universities and individuals with visa and citizenship matters. Attorney Khanbabai has been an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association for over 25 years and is a frequent lecturer on immigration issues. An avid supporter of her community, she served as a Board Member of Wilbraham and Monson Academy, her alma mater and was formerly a member of the Massachusetts Governor’s Advisory Council on Refugees and Immigrants. She graduated cum laude from Albany Law School.

Catherine Ramirez Mejia joined MIRA in October 2022 as the Access and Resource Specialist. Catherine builds organizational knowledge on immigrant access to various systems, creates and leads trainings, and designs resources and tools for a wide range of audiences in collaboration with the Communications Team and Digital Organizer. In addition, Catherine assists and advises the Policy Team on state and federal policy and legislative issues related to access to systems and services for immigrants. Prior to joining MIRA, Catherine served as a Program Coordinator and Operations Manager with Connecticut Court Appointed Special Advocates. In 2021, Catherine earned a Master of Public Policy with a concentration in children, youth, and family policy, and immigration policy from Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Catherine also has professional experience supporting initiatives between state and federal government as a data and research AmeriCorps VISTA member with the City of Hartford, Connecticut.

Fran Roy is a distinguished educator with over 30 years of experience in mathematics education and leadership. Throughout her career, Roy has been deeply committed to advancing educational equity. She began as a middle school math teacher before becoming an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Rhode Island. Later, she returned to public education as the Chief Academic Officer for the Fall River Public Schools, playing a pivotal role in transforming the district from state-mandated recovery to release from state monitoring. Before joining the faculty at Stonehill College, Roy continued her work in school transformation as the on-site Receiver for Parker Elementary in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Dever Elementary in Boston, Massachusetts.