With an MBA and a doctorate in human and organizational systems, Perez taught global resources management and was well-known in the community as a business consultant and trainer in organizational leadership, human resources, and project management as well as a leader of many service organizations.“My wife, Karri, had a passion while she was teaching here,” said Karri Perez’s husband, Gerald Perez, who, with an interdisciplinary doctorate in tourism development and public policy, serves as an adjunct faculty member at the university. “Her passion was translating academic exercise in the classroom to the real world, having come from the corporate world herself. … She was so passionately supportive of individuality, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance, so it was in that spirit that we established this scholarship.”

The scholarship was specifically for students with an interest in entrepreneurship and a minimum GPA of 2.5. Mendiola is a former student of Perez.

The UOG Endowment Foundation, which administers scholarship funds donated to the university, encourages members of the public to support the education of local students by establishing scholarships that align with an industry or career of particular interest or in memory of those who have passed. Individuals and companies may also make tax-deductible donations to any existing scholarship fund or to a particular school or college within the university at give.uog.edu.