Alexander Mendoza, Political Science

When Alexander Mendoza thinks about what his time at Stockton University has meant, he doesn't point to a single class or a single moment. He points to a community, the one he came from, and the one he fights for.

The Atlantic City native is graduating this May with a degree in Political Science and a concentration in Pre-Law. But for Mendoza, the real education happened through lived experiences. As a community organizer with El Pueblo Unido, he has spent his college years standing alongside Latino immigrant families during some of their most difficult moments and found calling in that work.

Mendoza didn't arrive at organizing through a single mentor or defining lecture. His motivation is more personal.

"No one specific person inspired me, but my community does every day," he said. "Seeing families live in fear while still working to support their loved ones pushes me to keep fighting."

After the 2024 election, he felt an urgency to act locally as immigrant communities braced for increased targeting. He began volunteering at a legal clinic in Newark, helping undocumented immigrants apply for Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement, and his involvement with El Pueblo Unido deepened from there. The work connected his academic interests in law and policy to something immediate and real, giving his studies a sense of purpose that extended well beyond the classroom.

Among his experiences, one stands apart. A community member named Saul had been detained, and Mendoza was present from the very beginning, accompanying his family to Delaney Hall so they could visit him in custody, and ultimately witnessing his release after the ACLU filed a successful habeas corpus petition on his behalf.

"Seeing that full circle moment, from separation to reunification, is something I'll never forget," Mendoza said. "In this work, we're used to seeing families separated, so being able to witness a family come back together meant everything."

That moment, he said, is exactly what El Pueblo Unido is about, showing up, standing with families in their hardest moments, and fighting together until they are whole again.

On campus, Mendoza found belonging through Latino student organizations that brought culture and community to Stockton. He credits those spaces, alongside meaningful conversations with professors like Dr. Lauren Balasco, with shaping his confidence and growth. Like many students, he felt imposter syndrome along the way, but he worked through it by grounding himself in his own abilities and reminding himself that he belongs in every room he enters.

"No one is coming to save us," he said. "We have to be the force of change ourselves."

After graduation, Mendoza plans to continue with El Pueblo Unido, focusing on expanding programs like the Municipal Watchdog Program and youth organizing initiatives. He hopes to apply what he's learned at Stockton to become a stronger, more effective advocate for the Latino immigrant community, one with the legal knowledge and organizing experience to back it up.

He says he’ll miss the late hangouts with friends above Dunkin' and the kind of honest, engaged conversations that defined his time at Stockton. Off the clock, he's an avid LEGO collector with a soft spot for Star Wars and Ninjago.

But the most meaningful thing Mendoza has built at Stockton wasn't made of plastic bricks. It's the trust, relationships, and community he'll carry with him long past May.