Erick Perez, a senior member of SAE at Cal State Fullerton, has been selected as one of only ten students chosen by the College of Business to attend the Richard Nixon Grand Strategy Summit in Washington, D.C. Through his involvement with SAE, the Latino Business Student Association, and his work in the Dean’s Office, Erick earned this incredible opportunity.
Traditionally reserved for Business Honors students, this year’s summit was opened to a select group of outstanding students, and Erick will proudly represent SAE Cal Pi and CSUF at the event.
Kayla McCloud, SAEs Coordinator of Communications, asked Erick a few questions to learn more about this opportunity, what has led him to this moment, and how his involvement in SAE has shaped his journey.
How did you find out you were selected for the Richard Nixon Grand Strategy Summit, and what did that moment feel like?
“The dean’s office was personally selecting candidates. It is normally a trip taken by business honors students. However, this is the first year they opened it to all students at the School of Business at CSUF. There was no application form; they selected students who best fit the school and are actively participating within the university, especially those with different perspectives. That’s why I was selected—being heavily involved on campus, from being part of LBSA (Latino Business Student Association) for three years and, in my final year, as President, and also actively being involved in the fraternity and showing how much passion I have for it. I go out of my way to promote it and really work to get something out of SAE. When the Associate Dean came up to me and asked if I wanted to go as one of the selected ten, I instantly said yes, because any moment to gain leadership experience and build real-world knowledge is a great opportunity.”
Peter Mitchell (’86) mentioned your involvement in SAE played a role in this opportunity — how has being part of the fraternity helped you grow or opened doors like this one?
“SAE played a big role for me. From the moment I became a founding father, I have been heavily involved in leadership —starting with smaller positions and eventually becoming EDA. They saw how important leadership was for me. The dean’s office has seen me throughout all these different positions, and the dean has personally asked me to partake in many different events throughout my years of working there because of the leadership I’ve learned.”
You’re also active in the Latino Business Student Association and work in the Dean’s office — how have those experiences, along with SAE, shaped your leadership style or goals?
“I was able to attend an annual Hispanic culture celebration where different people from big businesses and Latino representation attended and celebrated our culture, with guest speakers and the dean as the keynote speaker. I was able to network and talk about my involvement in SAE and as the President of LBSA.
Working in the dean’s office has connected me to many different people and allowed me to create those connections and be the person the dean’s office goes to when they need someone. During this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, I was selected to table and be a main representative at the College of Business and Economics table, sharing my experiences with students who attended the event. Also, the dean and I have built a connection over the last three years, as he has high admiration for LBSA. He has been a keynote speaker and played a big role in the organization. I had the privilege of creating and holding two leadership conferences last year as President, where the main topic in both was DEI and being Hispanic in the business world — how to navigate and prepare students at our school with workshops throughout the conference, from résumé workshops to financial literacy led by J.P. Morgan representative Lionel.”
What are you most excited to learn or experience during the trip to Washington, D.C.?
“What I’m most excited to learn in Washington D.C. is to see how leadership is different and see how people outside of California interact, as they can be different culturally from Southern California. Also Ivee learned a lot of leadership from my different roles within the school and my Mentors from the SAE Cal PI alums From Joe Ahn, Peter Mitchell, Gerardo Cuellar, Ramon Leal, Ken Shannon and Michael Lewis who have helped me many times either in person with talks or even making time to meet with me over zoom with their busy schedules shows how much dedication there is for us to succeed. With that, I want to be able to learn different styles of leadership, especially from the guest speakers and keynotes of the conference, and learn from them.”
A donor generously funded your trip — what does that kind of support mean to you, and how do you hope to pay it forward?
“That support is very important, and I am very thankful for the donor. Especially working for the dean in the dean’s office, every day you see different important people walk through the door, and they are always ready to help the donors who walk through the door. I know their donations help by making the already well-established business school here at CSUF better for any student who walks through that door. But their donations to personally help me mean a lot, as it’s not something you would expect.”
