Tucked beside the whirring coffee machines of Frappe Joe Coffee Roasters on Parsonage Road, students work hard toward their dreams. Inside C2 Education of Edison, students prepare for their futures and work towards their dreams one tutoring season, one college essay revision, and one college counseling meeting at a time. Helping guide them is Ms. Desiree Perez, who has been running the Edison center for the past four years.
Perez began her work in education as a Director of Admissions for art and design schools in New York and as a professional enhancing students’ education at the University of Phoenix. Since 2015, she has assisted hundreds of students and families at C2 Education. At the C2 Education Center in Edison, Perez started in 2021 as an Associate Center Director and College Counselor and quickly took ownership of the location, becoming lead Center Director in 2024.
“The families were so welcoming and supportive… Now, I want to be able to recreate what was created for me for each person that comes through our doors,” said Perez.

Every day at C2 Education is different, as there are new families joining the center every day. During the week, classes at C2 begin at 3:30 PM, and staff typically arrive at around 1:00 PM. Prior to opening, C2 staff is getting ready for classes, attending meetings, and setting up a multitude of practice tests. Upon opening the center to students, teachers begin classes and continue in two-hour blocks until closing time at 9:30 PM. Throughout the day, families also call the center with questions and walk in to get additional information.
On Saturdays, C2 is open from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and it is typically the busiest day for the tutoring center. With students off from school on the weekends, C2 typically has more classes, students, and meetings on Saturdays.
Like any business, C2 Education of Edison is faced with challenges on a daily basis. One of their greatest challenges is time management, as when the schedule gets busy, managing time can be difficult with parent meetings, student classes, and upcoming standardized tests.
Ever since C2 Education opened a franchise at Edison, the local community has been greatly supportive. The local community and schools, including Edison High School, have supported C2 Education by advertising the free practice test events to students. Students have also supported the local franchise by taking classes at the center, whether it be for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, or even AP exams. With the tremendous amount of support from local high schools, C2 Education of Edison hopes to help students in the area of getting ready for college. C2 provides expert, highly qualified tutors in the levels they teach for all school subjects, including upcoming AP exams. Along with supporting students with standardized assessments, they provide assistance in college counseling, academic planning, and college essay support.
When opening the C2 franchise, one of the biggest hurdles was publicity and building a name in the local community.
“Our corporation was the one who started our location. When we first began over 25 years ago, it was building a name for us in the community. Now, the majority of people who come here come to us via a friend or family member,” said Perez.
Over the years, the local franchise has evolved as standardized assessments evolved from paper to digital exams. Alongside this change, C2 Edison has helped students navigate such changes by switching to digital test prep and practice exams to orient students to the new digital format. During COVID-19, many C2 centers, including Edison, switched to a virtual platform for students to continue their studies and test prep. Perez’s proudest moments at C2 Edison are those of her hardworking students, such as scoring highly on standardized assessments.

For students interested in starting their own business, she has a suggestion.
“From a Taylor Swift quote I have hanging in my office: ‘Believe in everything you do. Believe from your mistakes and grow from them,’” said Perez. “It is important to know that as a new business owner you will make mistakes, and as a part of the learning curve, it will only make you stronger.”
Perez emphasizes that students entering the workforce should be as hard-working as they can possibly be. She notes that such diligence will lead to success and growth in the workforce.
For the future, Perez hopes to continue to help students achieve their goals by connecting with families more often, helping students navigate their roadmap to college easier. Due to the competitive nature of college admissions, Perez also wishes to connect with more middle school families to give them a competitive edge in college admissions upon entering high school.
Over the next five years, Perez sees her business growing, changing, and developing with the ever-changing world of college admissions. She also wants to have more long-term relationships with families by helping with high school course selection and magnet school test prep, rather than focusing only on the sphere of standardized tests. C2 Education of Edison plans to leave a legacy of support to every family and helping with achieving their goals.