Photo: Vincent Remini
About
Julissa Arce
Bestselling author, speaker, and former Wall Street executive
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.
Her new book, Holding Onto What’s Mine: Bad Bunny, Winning, and Cultural Power, arrives April 27, 2027. In it, she uses Bad Bunny’s astronomical rise to challenge what success really means—and makes the case that it only counts when we bring our community with us. She also writes La Historia Uncovered, her Substack on the lesser-known history of the Latinx community in the U.S.
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.
Highlights
- 25 Most Powerful WomenPeople en Español, 2017 & 2022
- Woman of the YearCity of Los Angeles, 2019
- Co-founderAscend Educational Fund
- As seen inThe New York Times, TIME, Vogue, CNN, MSNBC, NPR
Moments
A letter from President Barack Obama
Work with Julissa
NATIONAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR, SPEAKER SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE, FORMER WALL STREET EXECUTIVE JULISSA ARCE
NATIONAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR, SPEAKER, SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE AND FORMER WALL STREET EXECUTIVE 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.