Michael Ann Galliano Oropeza is a native of Clinton Mississippi.  She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining El Pueblo, she worked for private law firms in the Jackon, Mississippi area and in Pittsburgh, PA focusing on immigration work. In addition, she served as a Director and Divisional Director at Catholic Charities overseeing the immigration program and advocating for immigrant rights. She also worked as a legal support analyst at the ACLU addressing civil rights issues including immigration rights. Michael is accredited to practice as an immigration paralegal by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Michael Ann also serves on the Mississippi Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights and she serves on the UMMC Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities Community Advisory Board.

Yolanda Soto originally from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, is the Director of Community Outreach for El Pueblo. She has served the Forest community for many years, everything from organizing a community soccer league to assisting with ESL classes.  Yolanda worked with Mississippi Immigration Coalition and was the lead case/outreach worker instrumental in assisting families with food distribution and disbursement of humanitarian aid in response to workplace enforcement raids.

Jessy Armas was born in Newark, NJ to Cuban parents. She was later raised in Miami before moving to Mississippi over 20 years ago.

Jessy has always had a helping heart for others. She describes starting in the legal department by accident, saying she started this journey by helping filling out paperwork for others. Jessy has completed numerous training courses to acquire knowledge about her field especially in today’s atmosphere in order to bring satisfaction to those she serves.

Jessy believes that everyone needs a little bit of help to get through tough times. She gets excited to see clients complete their long journey with El Pueblo.

Her passion is spending time with family, playing dominoes, dancing and planning vacations. Jessy loves to see her daughters reach and meet their goals. She says that gives her a sense of completion. When her daughters give to the needy and help others, she says that lets her know that she has guided them in the right direction.

Jessy says giving is believing. 

Carolina Bermudez, originally from Costa Rica, has 12 years of experience working with the Hispanic Community in the grander Scott County area. As a caseworker at El Pueblo, she is informative and helpful to those who need legal or personal help as they navigate living in the United States. She has a passion for serving her community and helping people who are going through difficult times which makes her well-suited for her position at El Pueblo. In her free time, Carolina loves to travel with her family. 

Xuedy Jimenez was born in La Habana, Cuba and migrated to the United States. She grew up in a city that has the largest Hispanic population in Florida. While in Florida, Xuedy worked for the local city’s special needs department, caring for students. She was the Director of IT in a medical corporation that cared for the elderly and ran a commercial landscaping company where she began helping immigrant laborers adjust their status. After the pandemic, Xuedy moved to Mississippi with her husband and two children. Since moving to Mississippi, Xuedy worked for the local school district as a secretary. As a school secretary in Central MS, she noticed the many hardships Hispanic families endure and decided to work for El Pueblo as a caseworker to help them with other issues aside from school. Xuedy has many years of experience translating and interpreting. She loves helping others.

Xuedy is the proud parent of two wonderful children and four rescue mutts! In her free time, Xuedy is helping her kids with their different sporting events or she is busy buying prom dresses and soccer cleats. She hopes to be like Laurie someday and own her own farm to fill with rescues!

Sonnia Flores is a native of Cuenca, Ecuador. That is where she earned a degree in Economy and Finance. In 2001, she moved to the United States where she is now a dedicated mother of three boys.

Sonnia has experience in sales and office management, showcasing her strong skills in communication and leadership. Her journey reflects her resilience and commitment to both her family and professional growth. 

Sofia Gongora, born in Bahia Blanca, Argentina, is a political science student at Jackson State University.

She decided to dedicate her career to advocating for the immigrant communities like the one where she grew up in Scott County when she was inspired by her experiences volunteering after the largest immigration raids in the U.S. happened in several parts of Mississippi in 2019.

Sofia also has experience interning for Immigration Lawyer Benjamin Thornton and Appeals Judge Latrice Westbrooks. 

Daniella Oropeza is from Clinton, MS. She attended and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She lives in Tupelo, MS where she is the morning anchor and executive producer for WTVA 9 News.

Daniella has shown versatility in her work and stories during her career. From coverage throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic or learning first hand how residents in Jackson, MS dealth without clean water for days, to reuniting a Mexican family with the firefighter that saved their baby by reporting in Spanish, she will do what it takes to give a voice to those who are voiceless.