Julissa Arce

Julissa Natzely Arce Raya is a Mexican-American writer, speaker, businesswoman, and advocate for immigration rights. She is the co-founder of Ascend Educational Fund (AEF) and the author of My (Underground) American Dream, Someone Like Me (2018), and “You Sound Like a White Girl” (2022).

Early life and education Arce was born in Guerrero, Mexico. Her parents migrated to the United States for work, after which she began using a travel visa at age 11 to move between her parents' home in San Antonio and her grandmother's home in Mexico.

Career and advocacy In 2005, Arce moved to New York to start an internship at Goldman Sachs.

Arce obtained a green card in 2009 after marrying and became a United States citizen on August 8, 2014.

Arce is co-founder of the Ascend Educational Fund (AEF), a college scholarship and mentorship program for immigrant students regardless of their immigration status. She was awarded the Los Angeles Times Latinos de Hoy Emerging Leader Award, the NAHREP's Vanguard Award, and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Inspira Award.

Personal life Arce lives in Los Angeles with her husband.