ALL-IN MILWAUKEE AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO
EIGHT TRAILBLAZERS
Scholarship recipients Carlos, Melvin, Ailed, Areli, Anthony, Juan Carlos, Cristal and Kevin (left to right)
with Irving Ibarra and Allison Wagner from All-In Milwaukee
Eight members of the class of 2022 have received the prestigious All-In Milwaukee Scholarships. All-In Milwaukee is a college completion program that provides financial aid, advising, program and career support to high potential, limited-income, diverse Milwaukee students to complete college, build meaningful careers and transform the Milwaukee community. Scholarship recipients include: Carlos Betancourt (Marquette University), Kevin Felix (UW-Madison), Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez (UW-Madison), Anthony Gomez (UW-Milwaukee), Areli Luevano Roberto (Alverno College), Ailed Martinez (Marquette University), Melvin Mejia (Marquette University) and Cristal Ortiz Jimenez (UW-Madison).

“All-In Milwaukee is proud to partner with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School to develop the future diverse leaders of Milwaukee. We are welcoming eight incredible scholars into our class of 2022 and they will receive a significant scholarship along with academic, social, emotional and career development support throughout college from the All-In Milwaukee team. Our college completion program will ensure they complete college with little debt and that they come out of college with the skills, network and experience to start their career here in Milwaukee. With the right support, we are changing the odds for college completion and career placement for the amazing students in our program,” said Allison Wagner, Founding Executive Director of All-In Milwaukee.
 
These scholars benefit from comprehensive support from their transition to college and through to their career along with $12,000 in scholarships from the All-In Milwaukee organization. All-In Milwaukee has a 94% college persistence rate and 90% of its scholars have no student debt thanks to scholarships and the university aid packages provided. Congratulations Carlos, Kevin, Juan Carlos, Anthony, Areli, Ailed, Melvin and Cristal on receiving this scholarship, and thank you All-In Milwaukee for helping Cristo Rey Jesuit Trailblazers pursue their dreams of college and career locally.
PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
A REFLECTION FROM ANDY STITH
As a school leader and parent of some elementary school-aged children, the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas this last week has really hit home. As schools across the country conclude their academic years, this is supposed to be a celebratory time noting important milestones such as academic and athletics achievements, college acceptances, and graduations among many other accomplishments. For the community of Uvalde and many communities across the US, including Milwaukee, that are impacted by gun violence, it is a time of grieving and loss. I, like others, have so many unanswered questions about the sad events of last week, and I ask myself what more the CRJ community can do.

This past week at Cristo Rey Jesuit, we hosted about 50 people who currently supervise our students in their Corporate Work Study placements at their companies. It was our opportunity to say thank you to them for the work that they do with our students to help our students feel welcome, gain confidence, and contribute to their companies. Developing our students as young workers takes time, patience, care, creativity, and effort among other qualities. I can always tell when our students feel part of the company they work for if, when they speak about their company, they say "we" instead of just using the company name. These supervisors do more than just show students how to work. They show students that they belong, that they are fully capable of meeting workplace expectations, and that students can contribute as members of the team.
We are immensely grateful to these and hundreds of others in businesses and organizations across the Milwaukee metro who make time to help our students feel that they belong. Approximately 95% of our students will be first generation college students. This means that knowledge and experience with college and the professional world will be limited with many of our students and their families. Because of this, we are intentional about introducing students to the work world and potential career pathways. Most importantly, students build self-confidence and know that they belong. When kids don't feel like they belong, or that someone cares, or that there is hope, they, not surprisingly, can feel disconnected, depressed, and like an outsider to a world that does not understand them. Our school along with our corporate work study work partners connect students to the fabric of our community in a way that they feel they belong and can contribute with their God-given gifts. 

As I reflect on what more we can do, I know that finding more businesses and people, like those 50 who came to our school and the many others who support our students across the metro area, is part of the solution in Milwaukee. In fact, as the workforce continues to change and labor becomes more difficult to find, connecting the next generation to our work world is not only a moral imperative but a very pragmatic one as well. We are connecting the great potential in our students to our community in an incredibly meaningful way. Students at Cristo Rey Jesuit know they are cared for, that they belong, and that they can and do contribute to the greater good. And a stronger community means that quality of life will be better for us all.
WELCOME TO THE CLASS OF 2026
Recently, CRJ welcomed the Class of 2026 and their parents to campus for new student orientation. There was much excitement as 130 new Trailblazers explored the campus, met new friends, and prepared for high school. Jose Avila, father of incoming freshman Issac shared,
"Ever since Cristo Rey opened its doors at the new building, my wife and I were highly drawn to the school. We decided to fill out only one high school application for our son Issac (right), and that was to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Our main attractions to the school were the spiritual formation our son will receive and the 100% college acceptance rate of its graduates. We are also extremely grateful he will have the opportunity to gain invaluable real-time work experience in the corporate program as well as enjoy being part of music and technology-based extracurricular activities he so much loves that are available to him here." 

"During the admissions process, we have come to find out what makes Cristo Rey so special: the wonderful staff! We are happy we have entrusted our son to such a phenomenal group of people. Overall, we feel immensely blessed that our son is part of the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Class of 2026. We are so excited to see Issac’s growth in the next four years here."
 
Issac will join 129 others as Trailblazers for Summer Bridge beginning on June 20th.
SENIOR SIGNING DAY CELEBRATION AT CRJ
On Thursday, May 19, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School celebrated the senior class’ senior signing day. At this event, each student announced their plans after high school and which college they would attend. Students were also presented with various scholarships from their colleges and the generosity of the CRJ community. The celebration was featured by Milwaukee’s CBS affiliate. To date, the class of 2022 have been awarded over $3 million (and counting) in scholarships.

Senior Oumar Bah will be attending Ripon University and is the recipient of the Franzen Scholarship. He shared his appreciation for CRJ’s college counseling staff. “This would not be possible without them. They have been so helpful with all of my applications and FAFSA paperwork. I am so grateful they are available to us students, and I trusted them completely that they had my best outcome in mind as they were working with me.”

Zuleyka Rios, Director of Postgraduate Success, said that it has been an honor to work with and support seniors throughout this process. “This is a big decision about where they will start the next phase of their academic and professional careers. We know students and families rely heavily on us to help them weigh their options. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and care students and families put into this decision. We care for our students and alumni, and want to ensure they are academically, socially, financially, and emotionally supported as much as possible in their journey to and through college. We're so proud of the Class of 2022 and all that they have been able to accomplish this year.”

Next week, our senior class will don their caps and gowns for graduation on June 3rd. We invite you to join the ceremony live stream beginning at 3:30 PM.
SUPPORT CRISTO REY JESUIT
Is your business interested in partnering with our work study program?
We would like to speak with you about how your business or organization can partner with our Corporate Work Study Program! Contact Andy Stith at 414.436.4600 Ext. 2250 or astith@cristoreymilwaukee.org.
Make a difference in the lives of CRJ students!
The generous support of Cristo Rey Jesuit donors like you makes it possible for us to offer a Catholic, college-prep education combined with unique professional work experience to young women and men of all faiths and limited financial means.
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