Julissa Arce
Julissa Arce
Julissa Arce is a bestselling author, sought-after speaker, producer, and public thinker whose writing interrogates the myths of the American Dream and the cost of assimilation. Her acclaimed books, including My (Underground) American Dream, Someone Like Me, and You Sound Like a White Girl, blend memoir, social critique, and cultural analysis to reframe conversations around immigration, identity, and what it means to truly belong. Her work has made her a leading voice in the national dialogue on race, belonging, and the power of reclaiming one’s roots.
She’s a trusted voice on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and other outlets. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, CNBC, Vogue, and BuzzFeed News. Julissa’s storytelling and advocacy have earned her recognition as one of People en Español’s 25 Most Powerful Women of 2017 and 2022, and she was honored as the 2019 Woman of the Year by the City of Los Angeles.
Prior to becoming a writer, she built a successful career on Wall Street working for Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, and had seemingly achieved the American Dream—yet she was not part of what defined American.
Julissa immigrated to America from Mexico at the age of 11 and was undocumented for more than a decade, some of them spent rising to prominence on Wall Street. In order to help other young people in similar circumstances, Julissa co-founded the Ascend Educational Fund (AEF). AEF is a college scholarship and mentorship program for immigrant students regardless of their ethnicity, national origin or immigration status.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and cat.
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AN INDIE BESTSELLER
Most Anticipated by ELLE • Bustle • Bloomberg • Kirkus • HipLatina • SheReads • BookPage • The Millions • The Mujerista • Ms. Magazine • and more
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The American Dream: From Undocumented to Wall Street & Immigration Advocacy
Julissa’s inspiring story of how she rose through the ladder at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch and eventually became a nationally best selling author and prominent advocate for immigrant rights, Latino representation, and education equality.
Debunking the Myth of Assimilation in the Workplace
Julissa discusses the challenges of Latininad in the workplace and what this new generation of talent needs to truly be empowered and what past generations can come to terms with and all reflect on a new way forward of inclusivity, leadership, orgullo, and celebration of our uniqueness, origins, and the beauty of the differences that actually make us Americans.
The Case for Rejecting Assimilation
Powerful discussion against the myth that assimilation leads to happiness and belonging for immigrants in America.
Fireside Chat with Julissa
Julissa’s education story as an undocumented Mexican student- and what educators did to help her belong, and what they didn’t do that would have helped her to feel included. Some brief Latino history, children’s books statistics, and conclude with some food for thought to implement in the classrooms and schools.
“CMAS Speaker: ‘History Emboldens Us and Empowers Us’”
“Telling the Truth Wasn’t an Option”
“Borders Kept Our Family Apart—So We Had Three Weddings”
“The Undocumented Woman who Prevailed on Wall Street”
“Julissa Arce: undocumented at Goldman Sachs and breaking a stereotype”
Follow Julissa Arce on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
“Julissa was an excellent speaker and very gracious. Our students were very receptive to her.”
— Framingham State University
“Julissa’s presentation was one of the highlights of our annual program, we would welcome her back at anytime.”
— Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
“Julissa was amazing. She’s above and beyond what we hoped.”
— Carleton College
“What is abundantly clear is that this intelligent woman is a remarkable story-teller, not only by virtue of her incredible tale but also because of her ability to extract and reveal the inherent humanity that all of us can recognize and empathize with.”
— Univ of Nebraska, Omaha
Praise for You Sound Like a White Girl
“With bold, clear writing, Arce calls for immigrants and communities of color to reject assimilation, turn away from the white gaze, and embrace their unique cultures, histories, and identities, which deserve celebration. This book is a confident step forward for Arce as a writer and public thinker.”
— BookPage, “2022 Preview: Most Anticipated Nonfiction”“I’m so glad Arce wrote about this important topic, and how we should resist the insidious ways colonialism affects the world.”
— Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, The Meteor“In this unflinching book, Julissa Arce guts the idea that to live in America means immigrants must abandon their own histories, cultures, and languages and assimilate to dominant norms.”
— Ms. MagazineBook This Speaker
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