Years after graduating from the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, Elvia Perez still treasures the support she received from teachers and staff. In fact, those memories now motivate her to use her own expertise in finance to generate opportunities for others.
As a camper at the Colburn School’s Summer Encounter—a two-week immersive camp that introduces multiple facets of the performing arts to grade-schoolers—Elvia Perez couldn’t foresee the many doors the experience would open for her. She did, however, sense she was about to embark on something truly exceptional.
“I remember telling myself on the first day, ‘I need to take advantage of all of this. This is an endless array of knowledge, and I’m going to experience something not a lot of people in this world get to experience.’ I remember really wanting to soak it in and do my best in every single class, so that’s what I did,” she recalls.
Receiving a scholarship at the close of Summer Encounter opened the door for her to attend the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts where she studied violin, viola, and bassoon, which she eventually chose as her primary instrument.
“I didn’t know what it sounded like, but when I heard a small clip, I thought it was the most beautiful instrument I’ve ever listened to,” she says.
That change in instrument choice and receiving a Herbert Zipper Scholarship opened the door for Perez to receive lessons from Conservatory faculty and further expand her involvement with the Colburn community. In fact, she returned to Summer Encounter as a counselor.
When it came time to choose a college major, Perez certainly contemplated continuing her musical education, but she ultimately landed on economics with minors in entrepreneurship and political science. As she moved through her studies, Perez became especially interested in the intersection of analytical business thinking and service-oriented entrepreneurship, and how building companies could also expand access and opportunity for others.
“I thought it is amazing that you’re able to create something while being a catalyst for change,” she states.
For example, while still attending Brown University, Perez co-founded EmpowerU, an educational tech company that provides college students access to scholarships, internships, and summer programs. After graduation, she started her career in investment banking before transitioning to venture capital where she continues her career as a senior associate at Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With each position, she’s specifically sought to incorporate a social element into her work, either officially or by volunteering her time and expertise outside the job, such as serving as a co-director for the Girls into VC Fellowship.
“We have a very intense, free 10-week course where we teach young women about venture capital…and we have guest speakers, very prolific female investors who have years of experience to inspire them in a variety of different ways,” she explains. “Right now, I believe only 10% of venture capitalists are women, and less than 3% of funding goes to female founders. It’s been such a great experience being able to give back, and hopefully we can close that gap.”
Although no longer actively performing as a musician, Perez still values the arts and draws a direct line from her Colburn experience to her desire to open doors for others so they can find passion and purpose.
“I feel like I owe a lot of my success to the Colburn School,” she says. “I think it all started with Summer Encounter, finding that community and knowing there are amazing people out there who just want to see you succeed. When someone helps you in such a tremendous way, I think it compels you to give back, and so that’s what I’ve been doing with my life.”
The EmpowerU app is available on Apple App Store. To learn more about Girls into VC, visit girlsintovc.com.