La Gente: Founder, Advocate, and Visionary Maite Arce
Building Community from the Ground Up: The Heart Behind Maite Arce’s Work
When Maite Arce reflects on the founding of Hispanic Access Foundation, she doesn’t begin with policy or plans. She begins with the quiet, steady example of her parents, and a commitment that began long before it even had a name.
“My parents came to the U.S. with three kids, and I was the oldest,” she shares. “It was the typical immigrant story, moving from Ensenada, Baja California to Southern California. But what made it extraordinary to me was how rooted they were in values: family, service, justice, and faith.”
Maite describes her mother as someone who “just loves to help people. She makes friends everywhere, and her generosity is incredible.” Her father, she says, had a different approach. “He ...
