Marc O'Reilly
Associate Professor of Political Science
I grew up in Montr茅al in a truly bilingual family. My father always spoke English to me and my mother always spoke French. I went to French-speaking schools from age 4 until age 19. Since then I鈥檝e been at English-speaking schools. The current prime minister of Canada (Justin Trudeau) is from Montr茅al as well. We attended the same high school and prep school so we would鈥檝e seen each other in the hallways. He was three years younger than me and a year older than my sister. I joke with friends that I would not have given him the time of day because, as an older student, you aren鈥檛 going to fraternize with the younger students.
I think of myself as a global citizen who happens to live and work in the United States. I am a permanent resident, not a citizen. I certainly give thought every day as to whether or not I could be deported. I have lots of Muslim and Middle Eastern art and architecture in my office. I teach courses on the Middle East, where I discuss issues such as jihad. I can be a person of suspicion, I suppose. Is it a likely outcome? Probably not. It鈥檚 amazing to me that someone living in the United States for a quarter century could have those thoughts now. I don鈥檛 take for granted my presence in this country.
My mother periodically will try to guilt me into coming home or she will be wistful in her nostalgia and imply that she would like me to move back home. My immediate family is still in Montr茅al and I have relatives in various parts of Canada. I still feel very connected to my home country because the border is so close. If I lived further away, I would probably feel more of a disconnect. In the day and age of the Internet, it鈥檚 just so easy to feel connected.
Dr. Marc O鈥橰eilly was recently promoted to full professor of political science. He met his wife, Dr. Julie O鈥橰eilly, while attending Ohio University. Julie is an associate professor of communication and women's and gender studies here at 海外吃瓜.