The Emily J. T. Perez Foundation was established in 2006 by Daniel and Vicki Perez to honor the life and legacy of their daughter, Emily, through a mentoring and scholarship program for girls and young women.

Annual scholarships are given to outstanding students who have demonstrated academic excellence and potential for leadership and achievement - both in school and community activities. 

Second Lieutenant Perez, a 2005 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was killed in Al Kifl, Iraq on September 12, 2006, when an improvised explosive device was detonated near her Humvee during combat operations. She was the first woman graduate of West Point to die in Iraq.

Many will remember Emily as a trailblazer who transcended size, gender, and race to become the first woman of color to be Command Sergeant Major of the Corps of Cadets in the history of West Point. Many former cadets, especially football players, will remember her for helping them graduate by tutoring them through many of their classes. Emily's unit and company, 204th Support Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, will remember her as a great leader and continue to honor her with a street named "Emily's Way" and a medical center called the Emily J.T. Perez Treatment Facility. Her church will remember her as one with genuine love and compassion for people especially those suffering with HIV/AIDS. Emily's friends will remember her infectious laugh and loyal friendship and for always willing to give help or a hug. The public will remember her in her West Point uniform with her steady eyes and the chevrons taking up her sleeve from shoulder seam to elbow.

Emily would want to be remembered as a servant with a great love for and faith in God.