CRJ Newsletter: Graduating Class Reaches 100% College Acceptance

100% COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE FOUR YEARS IN A ROW

Class of 2022 becomes latest CRJ graduating class to accomplish feat!

The class of 2022 posed for a group picture during their April formation retreat held at the old campus.

Blazing new trails, all graduating seniors have been accepted to a four-year college or university! Director of Postgraduate Success Zuleyka Rios and college counselors Dulce Gutierrez and Francisco Hernandez worked with the class throughout the year to help each student find the right college experience. In an all-school assembly on May 19th, seniors will announce their college selection part of the Senior Signing Day celebration.

As we prepare to celebrate the graduation of the class of 2022 on June 3rd, here are some additional facts about their college application process:

1080 applications submitted
528 acceptances received
95% will be first-generation college students

The class of 2022 has been accepted to the following colleges and universities:

Alverno College

The University of Arizona

Benedictine University

Bradley University

Carleton College

Carthage College

Chicago State University

University of Colorado-Colorado Springs

Concordia University Wisconsin

Cornell University

University of Denver

Dominican University

Elon University

Florida Institute of Technology

Fox Valley Technical College

Gustavus Adolphus College

University of Illinois at Chicago

Indiana State University

Lake Forest College

Lakeland University

Loyola University Chicago

Luther College

Marian University

Marshall University

Michigan State University

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

New York Institute of Technology

University of North Dakota

University of Notre Dame

Regis University

Ripon College

Saint Louis University

Santa Clara University

Saint Cloud State University

St Olaf College

Stanford University

University of Texas at Arlington

University of Mount Union

Wheaton College

Wisconsin Lutheran College

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Xavier University

Arizona State University

Beloit College

Bethune-Cookman University

Cardinal Stritch University

Carroll University

Catholic University of America

Cleveland State University

Concordia University Saint Paul

Cornell College

Creighton University

DePaul University

Edgewood College

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Fordham University

George Washington University

Hamline University

Illinois College

Indiana University-Bloomington

Lake Superior State University

Lawrence University

Loyola University Maryland

Macalester College

Marquette University

Marymount California University

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Mount Mary University

Niagara University

Northland College

Olivet Nazarene University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

College of Saint Benedict

Saint Xavier University

Seattle University

Saint Norbert College

University of St Thomas

SUNY at Albany

Trinity Christian College

West Virginia University

Winona State University

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

University of Wisconsin-River Falls

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Xavier University of Louisiana

PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE

A REFLECTION FROM ANDY STITH

AP Seminar and Research students with their teacher Jack Nash (right)

Last week, I attended some of our Advanced Placement (AP) Research presentations by our seniors. We have nine Advanced Placement courses at Cristo Rey Jesuit and these courses are meant to offer college-level classroom rigor to our students in order to prepare them to be successful in college. In AP Research seniors choose a research project, study the existing research on the topic, perform their own research, and develop an end of course presentation to showcase their work and learning. One of the presentations I attended was titled "Computer Science and Atomic Representation: Designed Errors." While this topic was well outside my "wheelhouse", I was so impressed with the depth, effort, and level of grappling the student exhibited in his presentation with a fairly theoretical topic. Clearly, behind this and the other presentations I witnessed were parents who instilled the value of education but also many teachers along the way who challenged and supported the students to push themselves in their learning.

Here's to our educators! This week, at Cristo Rey Jesuit, we recognize our teachers and staff members in a special way. Research shows that great teachers are the most important factor in the classroom affecting learning and academic achievement. When I heard our students at their final presentations, I wasn't just amazed by the students and their research findings, but I also was astounded to think all at once about the many hours of preparation, encouragement, feedback, and support our teachers offer our students on a daily basis to help them become who God intends them to be in our world. Our students have four short years to prepare for college. It takes significant effort to meet the needs of students on a daily basis. There are successes but also many failures. Yet, our teachers continue to show up ready and willing to give their best to our students every day.

We are so blessed to have a committed, mission-driven group of teachers who put our students first. During the pandemic, while other schools struggled to convince teachers to return to the classroom, ours were amongst the first in the city of Milwaukee to return. They recognized the academic needs of their students, and despite some of their own trepidations, returned out of service and duty to our students. The students, especially those who most needed to return to the classroom, and their families, recognized this and were grateful.

As we celebrate the many people who work in schools this week, let's remember and show our gratitude to all those who've committed their lives to accompanying young people on their way to college, a career, and adulthood. The daily work of teaching is about much more than academic content, test scores, or grades. It is about sparking in the learner a recognition of purpose, a quest for truth, and a search for meaning. Let's hold all of our teachers in our hearts and prayers, especially this week, for the sacred work they do in accompanying students through education and life. We are grateful for all the ways they inspire us in life's greatest matters and those as small as an atom!

TRAILBLAZERS MAKE GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

Concierge Admission Program Benefits From CRJ Students

The Corporate Work Study Program gives CRJ students experience in a variety of industries and work positions. Founding partner Advocate Aurora Health relies on CRJ student teams to provide important information to their patients. As part of the Concierge Admission Program at Aurora Sinai Medical Center, students call newly admitted patients within 24 hours of admission to welcome them, learn more about what is important to them during their stay, and ensure they have what they need for a positive experience. Students also offer to contact a family member or loved one to share visitation information and offer virtual visits if the loved one is unable to visit in person.

Student concierge Senior Christopher shared, “When I first started working at Aurora Sinai, I didn't know much about the medical field. However, with the help of my amazing coworkers, I was able to get on track within a week of training!”

Aurora Sinai Medical Center supervisor Jeanne Clark works with the students to prepare them for their tasks. “Students get training in the Epic electronic medical record system. They learn to navigate and place information on the log sheets. Good communications skills are also very important in this role as they learn how to talk to patients over the phone.”

Christopher commented, “Doing real calls with patients and being an admission concierge, I find myself happy every Friday morning knowing that I am going to work at Aurora Sinai. Having this type of work experience is a blessing for me because it made me more confident and a much stronger version of myself. Over the last few months I have been working in the Epic record system. I have gained interest in the software and maybe working at Epic in the future.”

Christopher was recently awarded the CWSP "Work Experienced" award for being someone who is a dependable, responsible worker of integrity with high ethical standards. His supervisor was not surprised. “Christopher jumped right in and embraced the learning, is very engaged in his work and is at ease talking to patients. He has a lot of confidence, is self-directed and very reliable. All of our CRJ students have been wonderful!” Clark said.

CRJ ALUMNA FINDS HER PLACE AT UW-MADISON

Zykia Brumfield ‘21 is blazing her own trail. She is majoring in political science at UW-Madison with a plan to attend law school in pursuit of a career as a criminal defense attorney. Using the tools she learned while at CRJ, she has achieved early college success - both academically and through extracurriculars with the Wsiconsin Black Student Union (WBSU). The WBSU reminds her of the Black Student Union she founded at CRJ.

Zykia shared, "As the facilitator and one of the founders of CRJ’s Black Student Union, it gave me a sense of community in a place where I was a minority. I attend the biggest institution in the state with over 30,000 students, so I wanted to find my place and the Wisconsin Black Student Union was that place for me. I was elected to be on the Executive Board as the Programming Ambassador.

Being in the WBSU and building connections throughout the school with other minorities and organizations on campus is my favorite part of college so far. I recently returned from a trip to New York in April with the Jewish Studies and Afro-American Studies Departments. I came back more knowledgeable about the history of African Americans and Jewish people in New York community during the time of slavery through today. I was blessed to have the experience.

Attending Cristo Rey Jesuit has set me up for so much success. CWSP helped me prepare for the real world of being in constant communication with adults, utilizing soft skills, and working in a business with people from all different backgrounds. I had an amazing opportunity to work at a law firm and a staffing agency at the age of 14.

The teachers and staff at CRJ worked hard everyday to get me and my classmates ready for graduation and beyond. Being a first generation college student, my college counselors Mr. Hernandez and Ms. Gutierrez gave me a lot of the help I needed, answering my questions, connecting me with resources, and holding me accountable. My first semester was hard, but rewarding. I earned a GPA above 3.0 by reaching out for help from my TA or professors when needed, and being productive with my time.

SUPPORT CRISTO REY JESUIT

Want additional info on 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.

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