During her Freshman year at Ithaca College, Coco Perez was a part of “WIMP” which stood for Women in Media Productions. There were a few meetings in the fall of 2024 that Coco attended and gained information on what it is like to be a woman in the film industry, something that is very important to her. In October of 2024, Coco, along with her cohort, attended the MLK Scholar Program trip to the South. There, they got to meet many figures that were present and affected during the Civil Rights movement as well as visit museums and exhibits, including the Legacy Museum. Coco also was a part of the MLK Scholar Presentation during MLK Week in February. This semester, fall 2025, Coco's service projects included being a Jumpstart Leader for the "A Place Where YOU Belong" program, which was the program that the new MLK Scholar cohort was a part of. She got to engage with and get to know the new cohort, giving them advice on being an MLK Scholar and an IC Freshman in general. For another service project, she helped the incoming new students move into their dorms by welcoming them to IC and getting to know them as well as bringing their stuff to their new dorms. Coco has attended IC Poder meetings this semester, which is important to Coco as she believes it is essential to have a thriving Hispanic community on campus.
Being an MLK Scholar means having the opportunity to be a part of special experiences that align with my morals, and to learn and grow alongside likeminded peers.