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Do you ever wish that whatever you read will come to life? Well we will find out what happens for these characters and the adventures it takes them.

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We use cookies and other technologies to analyze site traffic, understand patterns of use, and improve your browsing experience. See our cookie policy Close Skip to Content Find the best for your family See what's streaming, limit strong violence or language, and find picks your kids will love with Common Sense Media Plus.

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What kinds of experiences have you had that are similar to Julissa Arce? She is the author of Someone Like Me. After you read the article and watch the video share with us how it made you feel!

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Julissa Arce shares her story on being undocumented in America.

An undocumented immigrant for 15 years, Julissa Arce, 36, became "the definition of the American dream," successfully working her way up the Wall Street career ladder while hiding the fact she wasn't a U.S. citizen.

Arce, now a citizen, has devoted herself to activism supporting immigrants, including a college scholarship program and two books, "My Underground American Dream," and, most recently, the young adult memoir, "Someone Like Me," about her experiences living in America undocumented.

"Both of my books are memoirs, and they tell my story of coming to the U.S. when I was a child and the journey that I've been on after finding out that I was undocumented," Arce told " Good Morning America."

Her inspiring story -- dreaming of success while dealing with the secret of being undocumented -- helps shine a light on an often misunderstood younger generation of undocumented immigrants.

Growing up undocumented

Arce moved to the U.S. to join her parents, who had been working there, when she was 11 years old on a visa. But that visa eventually expired.

"The biggest turning point in my life is that when I was 14 years old, the visa that I used to come to the U.S. expired and I became undocumented, and I didn't realize when I was 14 what the consequences of being undocumented would be," Arce said.

Arce said she figured out that if people knew her status they could use it against her.

"I think that's one of the biggest challenges of growing up undocumented is all the secrets you have to keep, all the little lies you have to tell. And that definitely impacts your relationship with people," Arce said.

When she applied to college, Arce said she was rejected from every school because she didn't have a social security number.

Arce said she "got very lucky" when the state of Texas started to allow undocumented students to go to college.

"I actually got a scholarship that Rick Perry ... the Republican governor of Texas at that time presented to me, and I was able to graduate from college and go on to have a really amazing career working at Goldman Sachs," Arce recalled.

There are still a lot of undocumented people in this country that are living in that constant fear that I lived in for such a long time.

It wasn't until her first marriage at 26 years old that the former Wall Street executive became a citizen. And she didn't tell her story publicly until a 2015 interview with Bloomberg News.

"I am now a U.S. citizen, and because I realize and recognize the privilege that it is to be a U.S. citizen I have now switched careers to being an author and an activist and really trying to advocate for my community," she said. "Because there are still so many people, and especially young people who are graduating from high school, who don't have access to financial aid. There are still a lot of undocumented people in this country that are living in that constant fear that I lived in for such a long time."

Arce co-founded the Ascend Educational Fund, a college and mentorship program for immigrant students, regardless of their status.

"I am really really proud that in the past six years we've awarded close to half a million dollars in college scholarships," Arce said.

Her message to the undocumented community

Growing up undocumented wasn't easy.

"When I started college, my parents moved back to Mexico because even though the new law in Texas allowed me to pay in-state tuition, it still didn't allow me to apply for financial aid," she said.

"When my parents left I was the only person that was left of our family in the U.S., and I was 18 years old," Arce continued. "So I always think about when I was a freshman in college and seeing all of my classmates go home for Christmas or go home for Thanksgiving and just feeling like, well, I don't really have a home to go to because my parents are in Mexico, and I can't go see them because I was undocumented and they couldn't come see me."

Arce said she didn't see her mother again until graduating from college.

"I do think that my story in so many ways is the definition of the American dream," Arce said. "But I also think that immigrants who don't end up working on Wall Street are also definitions of the American dream. The people that clean our homes and that mow our lawns, that take care of our children and serve our food at restaurants, they are the American dream."

Arce said she is often asked why she went so long being undocumented.

"The very simple answer to that question is that I didn't qualify to apply," Arce said. "There's only very specific ways in which someone can become a green card holder and eventually a citizen, and the 11 million undocumented people who remain undocumented today do not qualify under any way to be able to become American citizens."

"To my undocumented community, the message that I have for you is that you are worth more than a piece of paper," Arce continued. "You are worth more than the job that you have. You are worth more than your immigration status."

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She grew up undocumented. Now Julissa Arce is working to end immigration stereotypes.

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Julissa Arce shares her story on being undocumented in America. An undocumented immigrant for 15 years, Julissa Arce, 36, became "the definition of the American dream," successfully working her way up the Wall Street career ladder while hiding the fact she wasn't a U.S. citizen.

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An awesome nonfiction book about how one undocumented girl fought for her american dream.

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Do you ever wonder how people get ideas for books. Watch and learn about the story behind the book Wonder.

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Video 'Wonder' author R.J. Palacio tells the story behind her inspiration for the book: Part 3

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R.J. Palacio wrote the bestselling children's novel "Wonder," after a chance encounter with a young girl at an ice cream shop with her two sons.

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Here is the movie trailer for Holes. We will read the book then watch the movie and analyze connections between both.

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60 second book review. Watch it and tell me how you feel about Holes.

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Wonder is a fictional book that we will be reading and analyzing similarities and differences between Auggie's experiences and our own.

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Holes has a bit of mystery in it and is full of adventure! We will be reading this book in class and then we will compare and contrast Stanley Yelnats' to our own. We might even watch the movie!

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Mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, realistic and informative are just a couple of genres. Can you name some more or better yet tell me your favorite genre!