After attending a college in the Midwest, Julia Arellano Sullivan arrived at Stanford GSB as one of very few, if any, Latina students in her class. This ignited a passion for building community and bridging divides that Julia has channeled into action throughout her career.
In 2012, she co-founded the Latino Business Action Network — now called the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative — which helps Latino entrepreneurs scale their businesses. Julia also co-founded LatinaVIDA, a nonprofit organization that provides leadership programs and career coaching to help Latina and first-generation professionals rise to leadership roles. Jerónimo Emiliano García De Brahi, MSx ’17, notes that “Julia’s work in mentoring hundreds of women has provided healing and restoration to women from all walks of life.”
Julia’s community-building efforts extend to the GSB as well. She’s a founding member and co-president of Allies for Equity, an alumni chapter focused on ensuring that every individual receives equal opportunities and resources to achieve their goals. Julia also designed and led a series of events that provided a space for alumni to share personal stories and engage in thoughtful dialogue. Jerónimo believes that “Julia’s visionary leadership, passion for equity, and commitment to integrity have deeply enriched Stanford’s community.”
In recent years, Julia has shifted her focus to bringing mental health programs to Indigenous people in the U.S. and Canada. Using a psychotherapeutic model called Internal Family Systems (IFS), she aims to provide hope and healing to those affected by complex and intergenerational trauma. “We’re trying to create a community of people that have a common language to talk about their internal worlds,” Julia explains. Her work, including a special initiative for formerly incarcerated individuals, demonstrates her unwavering commitment to serving others.
