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JULISSA
ARCE

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR & SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE.

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT TURNED WALL STREET EXEC.

DOER. AMERICAN DREAMER. DEFIER OF EXPECTATIONS.

Julissa Arce’s story is nothing if not unordinary. She moved to the United States at eleven. At fourteen, her visa expired, and she became one of the millions of children living without documentation. A gifted student, she received a scholarship from the University of Texas, and joined Goldman Sachs after graduation, eventually working her way up to become a powerful executive in the world of finance, all while being undocumented. Watch her film and see her extraordinary journey.

 

JULISSA
ARCE

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR & SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE. UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT TURNED WALL STREET EXEC. DOER. AMERICAN DREAMER. DEFIER OF EXPECTATIONS.

Julissa Arce’s story is nothing if not unordinary. She moved to the United States at eleven. At fourteen, her visa expired, and she became one of the millions of children living without documentation. A gifted student, she received a scholarship from the University of Texas, and joined Goldman Sachs after graduation, eventually working her way up to become a powerful executive in the world of finance, all while being undocumented. Watch her film and see her extraordinary journey.

Julissa

 

“I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE SOMEONE LIKE ME WASN'T SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT. I AM AN IMMIGRANT. WHEN I MOVED HERE I DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH. I WAS UNDOCUMENTED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. BUT REGARDLESS OF THOSE OBSTACLES, I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THROUGH THEM, AND PERSEVERE.”

 

“I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE SOMEONE LIKE ME WASN'T SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT. I AM AN IMMIGRANT. WHEN I MOVED HERE I DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH. I WAS UNDOCUMENTED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. BUT REGARDLESS OF THOSE OBSTACLES, I WAS ABLE TO PUSH THROUGH THEM, AND PERSEVERE.”

 

Julissa says her story would never be possible without the women who have lifted her up along the way. “Having women mentors in my life has been such a big blessing. When I was at Goldman, my boss was a woman. My mom, my grandma, my tías, my sisters, my cousins—every woman in my family is an unordinary woman.” Today’s she’s using her unordinary story to create extraordinary change. "I asked myself, ‘How can I use my story, my privilege, my position to open doors for other people?’ And that's why, I started the Ascend Educational Fund to help other immigrant students go to college and pursue their dreams. This year, we’ll surpass half a million dollars in college scholarships and 64 students that we've helped get to college.”

 

Julissa says her story would never be possible without the women who have lifted her up along the way. “Having women mentors in my life has been such a big blessing. When I was at Goldman, my boss was a woman. My mom, my grandma, my tías, my sisters, my cousins—every woman in my family is an unordinary woman.” Today’s she’s using her unordinary story to create extraordinary change. "I asked myself, ‘How can I use my story, my privilege, my position to open doors for other people?’ And that's why, I started the Ascend Educational Fund to help other immigrant students go to college and pursue their dreams. This year, we’ll surpass half a million dollars in college scholarships and 64 students that we've helped get to college.”