Alberto Aponte Cardona, associate justice of the Central Falls Municipal Court, has a service-oriented approach to his work that resonates deeply with the values underpinning a Roger Williams legal education.

Born in Puerto Rico, Cardona settled in Central Falls, R.I., as a teenager, later graduating magna cum laude from Johnson & Wales University. “I got a lot of help as a kid, and I wanted to give back,” he says.

Cardona serves on the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, established the Central Falls Even Start Literacy Program, coordinates housing fairs for low-income families, and counsels students considering law as a career. “The way the Latino community goes, that’s the way I go,” Cardona says. “I grew up here, so I came back here. I owe this community something.