Originally from Cuba, Nora Hewitt started her career at GLS as a receptionist in the Bradenton office where she did a myriad of things and got to learn a bit about all the units by working with many different attorneys. After five years, she moved from Bradenton to Tampa and transitioned into her current role as the senior legal secretary for the immigration unit here in St. Pete.
Nora is responsible for intake of those seeking assistance with immigration issues. This means she is the front line when it comes to dealing with clients. She says she tries to be quick with the phones – if she answers too late, she might miss helping someone who really needs it. In addition, she does a lot of interpreting from English to Spanish and back. She works closely with Joanne, one of the immigration attorneys, and the two of them spend two days a month at the Hispanic Outreach Center in Clearwater working with clients.
She says the most difficult part of her job is that the people who come to her for help have often been through really tough things and don’t always trust others. It can be difficult to get them to open up.
“I just hug them,” she says. “It helps break the ice.”
The best part of her job is being able to help others. The clients, she says, are so grateful for everything, and are often very affectionate and warm. The best part, too, are the people she works with. Everyone helps each other, and it makes GLS a good place to work. “I love everybody,” she says.
Nora loves working with people outside of work, too. She is very active in her church and relates the outreach she does there to the outreach she does with GLS – it’s all about talking to people and helping them. When she’s not at church, she helps take care of her mom, and has two daughters and seven grandchildren ranging from age five to fifteen.
At work, Nora can always be found with a smile and a piece of candy to share. We love how enthusiastic she is about her work, and the kindness she shares with staff and clients on a daily basis. Thank you for working for GLS, Nora!
