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.

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. 

Lidia Batista’s journey as an immigrant from Cuba at the age of 6 ignited her passion for immigration law, inspiring her to dedicate her career to assisting others facing similar challenges. With a Juris Doctor degree from Samford University – Cumberland School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Valdosta State University, Lidia brings both academic rigor and personal understanding to her practice. Her professional experience includes internships and clerkships at The Love Law Fir, Heninger Garrison Davis, LLC, and The Law Offices of John Charles Bell, focusing on immigration law and multidistrict mass tort litigation.

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!

Milenny Moya was born in the Dominican Republic and migrated to the United States when she was six-years-old to live in Forest, MS. Being an immigrant motivated her to find work as an interpreter and receptionist at Main Street Medical Center as well as Forest Elementary school. She has 13 years of experience working for and helping the Hispanic community in Scott County.

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.