If we eat with our eyes, it stands to reason we cook with our hearts. At least that’s true for Dalvin Perez Casilla, Kogod/BSBA ’25.
Perez’s love for preparing and sharing recipes began last year when he transitioned from a university meal plan and started experimenting in the kitchen of his apartment. He challenged himself to cook his own dishes during junior year—steak with caramelized onions and green pigeon peas or fried pork chops with red beans and rice—and soon found the hobby to be a tasty vehicle for self-discovery.
“Cooking has taught me not only about who I am as a person, but it has also given me a sense of patience,” he says. As with life, “there are ups and downs; there are obstacles—cooking a dish is not going to be perfect.”
Perez grew up in the Dominican Republic and emigrated to the United States at age eight. He attended elementary and middle school in New York City before moving to a small town north of Boston for high school.
“This journey shaped my identity as a Dominican and Afro-Latinx individual,” Perez says of his immigration experience. “These intersectionalities define my resilience and passion for community building.”
When it came time to consider colleges, Perez was drawn to AU’s strong academics and its multicultural student body. With a nudge from a scholarship counselor, Perez applied to AU, writing his personal statement about childhood Sunday breakfasts of Dominican mangú (mashed plantains) and family bonds forged through food. Still, it wasn’t until he received notice of his acceptance and scholarship support that the path ahead became attainable.
“My scholarship counselor at that time was like, ‘Go to AU—you’re going to like it. You’re going to enjoy it,’” Perez says.
Looking back, he could have never imagined how prescient this advice would be—namely, the joy he’s found on campus.
The business administration major kicked off his AU experience with the seven-week Summer Transition Enrichment Program, which helps incoming students navigate the transition to college. During the intensive residential program, Perez met new friends and explored his new home in DC.
Throughout his undergraduate experience, Perez found community with AU’s Latinx Eagles. He cofounded the Student Organization of Latinos in Business, AU’s Epsilon Alpha chapter of Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, and Latinos en Acción—AU’s chapter of United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led network in the US. He also held roles with the Center for Student Belonging.
Energized by his involvement in campus life, Perez made his culinary ambitions a means to uplift those around him.
Whether riffing on family recipes on his Loco’s Cuisine Instagram account or developing fan-favorite espresso drinks as assistant general manager at The Bridge, AU’s student-run coffee shop, he got a taste of food’s unifying appeal.
He also found a mentor in Mark Bucher, SPA/BA ’90, who teaches a course on food insecurity in the School of Public Affairs. Bucher—winner of AU’s 2022 Alumni Recognition Award—is co-owner of Medium Rare restaurants and founder of Feed the Fridge, a nonprofit that combats hunger while supporting local restaurants.
Together, Perez and Bucher collaborated on a program to place $50 Medium Rare gift cards in student service offices across campus. The goal was to incentivize students’ familiarity with AU’s resource infrastructure—with the added perk of a free meal.
“Not a lot of people know where the financial aid office is,” Perez says. “So we tried to tailor it toward those kinds of locations to improve understanding of [AU’s] resources.”
After graduation, Perez plans to attend culinary school in Singapore and hopes to launch a restaurant franchise that employs and feeds individuals experiencing homelessness.
“Access to food is a human right, and no one should go hungry,” he says. “Through partnerships with shelters and food delivery initiatives, I plan to create sustainable solutions to nourish communities and restore dignity to those in need.”
Despite his successes, Perez is not immune to self-doubt. But he points back to the impact of scholarships at AU—including the Barbara Bohn Wright Memorial Scholarship and the AU Student Professional Development Fund—that cut through the noise of imposter syndrome.
“Scholarships send a message that you have a chance in life,” he says. “You have a chance to succeed. People do believe in you.”
Dream Big: It Started with a Scholarship
A first-in-one’s-family degree. An internship with a prospective employer. An international service-learning trip. Roll back the tape on these defining AU experiences, and so often, they started with a donor-funded scholarship.
Scholarships change lives every day at AU. They’re the difference it makes to help a student attend AU or the extra boost that allows them to complete their degree. When an Eagle learns that they’ve received a scholarship—whether in their first financial aid letter or in their final semester—they know their big dreams are worth it.
This is why AU is prioritizing scholarship gifts to ensure all Eagles can reach their full potential.
Flexible by design, these funds will allow AU to more nimbly respond to areas of the greatest, most urgent need. AU is proud of its commitment to meet full demonstrated financial need, and all admitted students are automatically considered for scholarships. Amid today’s financial landscape for students and their families, AU’s goal is simple: The more money that is available for scholarships across the university, the more students AU can support.
AU looks forward to sharing new opportunities for the Eagle community to take part in this critical work.
Your Impact
The AU Scholarship Fund is fueled by gifts of any size and directly impacts current students. By supporting the AU Scholarship Fund, donors help promote access and affordability for all Eagles by mitigating financial barriers to an AU education.