Biography
Cindy Perez was born in Sacramento, California, and is of Puerto Rican descent. When she was 9, her family left Puerto Rico and moved to Maryland, where her father was reassigned while in the US Army. She learned to speak English by watching sitcoms and emulating what she saw in the mirror. Within a year, she attained one of the highest scores in the county in Math, Science, and English aptitude tests.
At 10, still speaking little English, she auditioned and was accepted to the Thomas Pullen Creative and Performing Arts Academy in Maryland, majoring in Vocal and Musical Performance, which she continued during her high school years.
She performed at the Kennedy Center alongside Rita Moreno, for PBS and other news outlets and was a part of the State Honor Choir for three consecutive years, within which she was one of 10 selected among thousands of children to perform in a special performance with the Maryland Philharmonic "Choral Symphony No. 1. Merlin, Magician of the Universe" by British composer Douglas Coombes. She graduated from Seoul American High School at 16 and attended college shortly after.
At 20, Cindy completed her Bachelor's degree while working at the Defense Information Systems Agency and was awarded a prestigious internship with the US Department of State at the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea.
After her internship, she joined the United States Army as an Intelligence Officer, attaining the rank of Captain and working with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as other agencies throughout her career in the reserves.
At the same time, Cindy became a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and was stationed in Salt Lake City, UT and San Juan, Puerto Rico where she worked in the public corruption and gangs and narcotics squad.
During her time in the FBI, Cindy participated, led, and coordinated over 30 multiple agency raids, arrests, and search warrants with DEA and other law enforcement agencies.
She was the lead case agent in a judicial corruption case that would be the first of its kind in the history of the San Juan FBI field office, resulting in multiple convictions and spin-off cases combating local, state, and corrupt public officials.
For her efforts, she was nominated for the Attorney General's Excellence in Law Enforcement Award in 2015 one of the highest distinctions in the law enforcement community.
Cindy has received numerous awards and accolades in the Army and FBI.
In 2017, she transitioned back to her artistic roots. Finding success quickly in multiple commercials, movies, and attending the Sundance Director's Lab that year, she decided to move to Los Angeles in 2019 to pursue her passion permanently.
Cindy graduated in 2023 with a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from the prestigious Anderson School of Management in UCLA.
She is fluent in both English and Spanish.
