Flavia Perez
Enterprise Applications Developer, Cox Enterprises
“Don’t steer away from opportunities just because it seems like
someone’s going to say no. Just go for it!”
About Flavia Perez
STEM Topics Related to Her Work: Information Technology, Cyber Security
How She Makes The World A Better Place Through STEM: I am passionate about helping develop future talent and creating opportunities for others. I actively volunteer my time supporting STEM initiatives, mentoring students, participating in career development activities, and providing resume reviews and professional guidance. I enjoy helping students and early-career professionals better understand career paths in technology and preparing them for success in the workforce. My goal is to make a positive impact by solving problems, supporting others, and helping build a stronger future workforce while contributing to the success of Cox and the communities we serve.
Hobbies: Reading, running
Education: Business Administration, A.S., Marketing, B.S., Georgia State University. Cyber Security Policy M.S. (in progress), Georgia Institute of Technology.
Small Steps, Big Impact: Meet Developer Flavia Perez
When you think about coding or big tech companies, you might imagine high-tech video games, fancy app icons, or sleek gadgets. But for Flavia Perez, an enterprise applications developer, tech is all about solving real-world puzzles—like making sure millions of dollars add up correctly!
Flavia works at Cox, a large company made up of many smaller businesses. Her main job is to build the invisible software behind the scenes that brings all these different businesses together. She creates digital tools and financial reports to make sure the company knows exactly how much money is coming in and going out.
“I basically tell my friends: if you’ve ever looked at a bank statement, how do those numbers get there? Who does that math?” Flavia explains. “I’m making sure all those numbers line up.”
Connecting the Dots
Flavia’s path to a tech career wasn’t a straight line. Born in Peru, she moved to the United States when she was five years old. As an immigrant whose mother didn’t know much about American corporate jobs, Flavia had to figure out her future on her own.
To help pay for her education and learn about different careers, she joined the Army National Guard during her senior year of high school—a commitment she has kept for over 13 years! She went on to earn degrees in business administration and marketing, and she is now working on a master’s degree in cybersecurity policy.
Because navigating her own education was tough, Flavia’s long-term personal mission is helping kids and young people discover what opportunities are out there. “[They’re thinking, ‘] I don’t know what I don’t know, so how do I figure out what else there is?’” she says. “I like connecting those dots for people.”
Science, Nature, and People
While Flavia spends her workday writing code, her passion for science goes back to her high school days when she wanted to be an environmental scientist. She is fascinated by how people, nature, and technology interact.
Take a growing city, for example: Civil engineers build sidewalks so students can walk to school, and tech companies lay down fiber-optic cables so families can stream videos. But building those things often means cutting down trees. For Flavia, science is all about finding the balance between human needs, new technology, and protecting our natural world.
Big Feelings in Small Moments
If you ask Flavia about her biggest achievements, she won’t point to a single massive trophy. Instead, she values the small steps that build confidence over time—like the very first time she wrote code independently for a work project.
“There are a lot of small things that lead to big feelings,” she shares. “It was less than 10 lines of code, but it meant my team trusted me.”
Her advice for middle schoolers? Don’t let fear keep you from trying new things, whether it’s applying to a magnet program, trying a new club, or asking a tough question.
“Don’t steer away from opportunities just because it seems like someone’s going to say no,” Flavia advises. Trust yourself, take small steps, and remember that it’s completely okay not to have everything figured out right away!
