Julissa Arce on why success isn’t worth her assimilation

How to Be a Better Human

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Julissa Arse: Spanish is a big subject in Latino culture. She says that understanding why so many Latinos don't speak Spanish can also give you a connection to the culture. For me still today having gone through what I've been through there's still times when I feel like I have so much more work still to do, she said.

When do you feel like you've reached "success"? Julissa Arce is an acclaimed social justice advocate, the author of four books, a former vice president at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, and was named a 2019 Woman of the Year by the City of Los Angeles. But if you ask her, she’s still redefining what success looks like, and if it matters. Julissa immigrated to the United States at 11, and was undocumented for almost 15 years. In her latest book, and in today’s episode, she rejects the idea that assimilation can create belonging and brings success – and asks what we can do instead to reconnect and celebrate all that makes us unique. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts