Jackson Free Press

The poster on Julieta Mendez's office wall at Catholic Charities reads "Communication: Build bridges, not walls." By working and communicating with immigrants, Mendez is building bridges for people in the community.

Mendez grew up in Mendoza, Argentina, with no idea that her future would bring her to Jackson. After marrying Alejandro Chade, Mendez and Chade moved to Minnesota in 2001, where Chade took a job in research at the Mayo Clinic. They then moved to Brandon two and a half years ago. Chade is now an assistant professor of biophysics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. They have a 4-year-old son, and Mendez is pregnant.

When Mendez first moved to Brandon, she decided to volunteer for Catholic Charities. What she got was much better than simple volunteer work. Mendez currently works as the program director of the Immigration Clinic for the Jackson-based Catholic Charities.

"Before I had time to do that, someone brought a job flier to my husband, and he showed it to me, and I applied for a job," she says. "It was perfect. I wasn't expecting it to happen this way. I was going to just offer my services for free, and I end up getting paid for it."

On a daily basis, Mendez assists immigrants in many areas. She helps them file petitions with immigration services for permanent residency or citizenship and serves as an interpreter or translator.

"We go everywhere. We serve everywhere. We try to reach immigrants everywhere in the state," she says. In order to do this, the Immigration Clinic travels to communities to give presentations on immigration law, domestic violence and other issues of interests for the immigrant community.

The men and women Mendez helps provide her with a sense of family. This is mainly due to the long processes involved with immigration; Mendez may work to get one person a citizenship for several years. Mendez's sense of family constantly expands to welcome these immigrants to Jackson, which lacks the familiar sights and sounds of their native countries.

Mendez also enjoys spending time with her own family. The Mendez family frequents the Corner Bakery in Flowood every Sunday for coffee; also, since becoming pregnant, Mendez craves the Ultimate Salad from Newk's.

In addition to Jackson's many restaurants, Mendez also appreciates the city's landscape.

"It is a beautiful place, very pretty," she says. "We are happy here."