Someone Like Me

Julissa Arce was born in Taxco, Mexico; her parents worked at fairs and festivals across Mexico and the United States of America. At age 11, her parents took her to America on a tourist visa, which expired when she was 14. Julissa lived as an undocumented immigrant in the United States until she was married to her college boyfriend in 2014. She has worked on Wall Street with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch after graduating in business from The University of Texas.

Julissa has published two memoirs about her life as an undocumented immigrant, My Underground American Dream and Someone Like Me. Julissa is now an active advocate in and organizations to help other immigrants.. She co-created the Ascend Educational Fund (AEF) because of her love and passion for immigrants and education. Julissa, also, serves on the board of directors of the National Immigration Law Center and CollegeSpring. She has been interviewed and invited to speak with several popular organizations including TEDx, CNN, NBC, FOX NEWS, Telemundo, and many more. Not only is she a bestselling author and an advocate for immigrants, she has also received many awards such as the Latinos de Hoy Emerging Leader Award, the NAHREP's Vanguard Award, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Inspira Award and so many more. She continues to fight for equality for undocumented immigrants to this day.