Marcelle De Sousa Alves

Marcelle Alves, a two-time Vision Fellow, earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Arizona in 2020 and her Juris Doctor at Purdue Global Law School in 2025. Marcelle has since dedicated her work to representing asylum seekers, survivors, and vulnerable immigrants navigating detention and the immigration court system. Marcelle has been an immigration advocate and point of guidance to the Martha’s Vineyard immigrant community. Marcelle spent this past spring interning at the Immigration Legal Department at Ayuda in Washington, D.C., where she supported survivors of trauma, asylum seekers, and vulnerable immigrant families in deportation proceedings. She is passionate about expanding access to legal defense for immigrants who are often left out of traditional legal services. Marcelle is bilingual in Spanish and English and is currently pursuing bar admission to practice immigration law in federal court. Marcelle remains committed to using her legal background to amplify community voices on Martha’s Vineyard, challenge exclusionary immigration systems, and support immigrant families.