Perez was able to incorporate her passion for community service into a career in business.
A former member of Adelphi University’s distinguished Levermore Global Scholars program, Hilda Perez ’11, M.A. ’14, earned her B.A. in International Studies and Political Science and went on to complete her master’s degree in social entrepreneurship in 2014. As a bilingual intern in Adelphi’s first Jaggar Community Fellows Program (JCFP) cohort, in the summer of 2010, Perez served the Spanish-speaking community and worked one-on-one with families through the Make-A- Wish Foundation of America, building upon a base of experience she began developing before she arrived at Adelphi.
“I did a lot of community service work through high school,” Perez said. “I volunteered in elementary schools and in a day care. I found I had a passion for it. My father was a doctor and had done work with malnutrition through the United Nations. It had a strong influence on me.”
Working with the JCFP made a deep and significant impact on her worldview, Perez said, and influenced her to continue helping the Hispanic community.
“It helped me realize that I wanted to do meaningful work that is innovative and unique,” she said, adding that JCFP afforded her an opportunity to observe firsthand how large nonprofit organizations operate and provided her with substantial experience.
After graduating from Adelphi, Perez first worked for her family’s business, Salud Para Todos, a Manhattan-based health and wellness company that distributes proprietary natural preventative and ameliorating healthcare supplements. Within two years of graduating, Perez had become the company’s acting vice president.
But she was intent on creating a business of her own. After completing her master of social entrepreneurship degree at Hult International Business School in San Francisco, she launched SAVVY-Marketing for Good, which provides marketing services to help not-for-profit organizations achieve positive impact.
SAVVY supports such businesses and organizations by creating, implementing and measuring marketing activities. Perez hopes to help other businesses grow sustainably through strategy development and positive impact.
“I owe a lot to that summer [JCFP] experience for helping me reach this new milestone,” she said.
This article appeared in the Career Compass Fall 2016 Newsletter.For further information, please contact:
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