José Mendezkowski

José Mendezkowski is a 2014 graduate who works at Indiana University in the Kelley School of Business as the Assistant Director of Diversity Initiatives. José loved his time at SVSU and working as a student worker in the Office of International Programs so much that he chose to make that his career path. He loves that his days are now filled with assisting first-year students transition into their college careers and support upper-class students to accomplish their academic goals.

Life at SVSU

José is originally from Caracas, Venezuela and was an exchange student in Ubly, Michigan, in high school. He wanted to be in Michigan because José was born in Maracay, Venezuela the same town as Miguel Cabrera, and he is a big fan. When deciding what college to attend, he chose SVSU because it had a good bowling team, and José was a fan of bowling.

José knew that he wanted to study business, so he majored in marketing and management. He loved that the College of Business helped him with scheduling so he could fit in all of his classes and student work. He also enjoyed taking classes with adjunct professors who shared their real-world experiences in the classroom.

José was very involved in the Office of International Programs; he worked there throughout his entire undergrad education and was involved in the International Student Organization, where he was also the President for one year. He has fond memories of the ISO cultural presentations, International Food Fest, and Intercultural Night.

Life Beyond SVSU

José graduated in 2014 and planned his graduation and wedding day with Lorena Mendezkowski (who is also an SVSU alumna) all on the same month so his family could make it to both events from Venezuela. Then he discovered that SVSU had canceled summer graduation and that José would have to participate in the spring graduation commencement, and his family could not come. He approached President Bachand and spoke with him about this predicament, and they were able to work together to let José walk during the summer nursing graduation so that his family could see him walk. José loves telling this story because it shows the SVSU faculty and staff's open-door policy and how SVSU will work with students to give them the best possible experience.

After graduation and his wedding, José was working in sales in Lansing. He was not feeling fulfilled in this job and, in 2016, decided to take six months to do community development work in Nicaragua. While there, he began thinking about his time at SVSU and in the International Programs Office. When he returned to the U.S., he contacted Pat Shelly, the current Interim Director of International Programs. He picked his brain about being an advisor to international students. Soon, José got a job at Indiana University in the Office of International Services. During his time in the Office of International Services, José became an international student advisor in 2019 and completed an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs in 2020, fulfilling his goals at Indiana University.

In 2023, José changed direction and now works for the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University as the Assistant Director for Diversity Initiatives. His roles include diversifying the Kelley School of Business through the Standard Admissions process and being an Academic Advisor to underrepresented minority students in the Kelley Office of Diversity Initiatives program. José’s favorite part about his job is connecting with students and helping them grow throughout their college careers. He specializes in working with incoming first-year students and loves seeing each student's growth over their first year at college.

When not working, José can be found with his wife Lorena and two kids in their backyard making forts, at church, or visiting family and friends in Michigan, Kentucky, and across the country.

We know that you do amazing things, both personally and professionally, and we want to hear all about it. Whether you've landed your dream job, started your own business, or made a difference in your community, we want to celebrate your accomplishments and share your story with the world. We can't wait to hear from you!

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