Wilmot Collins

State: Montana

City of Residence: Helena, Montana

Country of origin: Liberia

Arrival in the U.S.: 1994

Mr. Wilmot Collins is a refugee from Liberia who was forced to flee the Liberian civil war after the ceasefire collapsed and two of his brothers were killed by rebels and government soldiers. Mr. Collins arrived in the United States in 1994, and he now resides in Helena, Montana with his wife, daughter, and son. He is a Child Protection Specialist, an adjunct instructor at University of Montana-Helena, and serves as a member of the United States Naval Reserves. He is very civically active in Montana through his service as a board member for United Way of Lewis & Clark County, the Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance, and for Lutheran Immigration & Refugees Service. Mr. Collins has an M.A. in Human Resources Management, and is working towards a Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology at Waldon University. Of all his contributions to his community, he is most proud of his assistance and close involvement with the Soft Landing Organization in Missoula, Montana, and in bringing a branch resettlement branch of the International Rescue Committee to Montana.

To Wilmot, the U.S. means: Second chance