A former Goldman Sachs investment banker who rose through the ranks while hiding her citizenship status speaks Wednesday at UNO.Julissa Arce will speak at UNO Wednesday evening about immigration. She came to the U.S. at age 11 with her family. Her visa expired three years later, but Arce stayed, graduating from college and joining Goldman Sachs. She worked her way up to vice president of the company before departing.
Arce says being undocumented created challenges on several fronts, including securing money for college, and traveling.
"Even just things like being able to drive down the road without having to be afraid of if I get pulled over, this might mean I get deported. There are only ten states, and D.C. and Puerto Rico, that allow undocumented people to drive with a valid driver’s license. So those are a couple of the struggles that 11 million people continue to face every single day."
Arce worked for Merrill Lynch after leaving Goldman Sachs. She became a U.S. citizen in August 2014 and is now the co-founder of Ascend Educational Fund, which provides scholarships to immigrant students.
Julissa Arce’s speech begins at 6 pm at the Community Engagement Center.