CONFERENCE GIVES CRJ STUDENTS A TASTE OF WASHINGTON D.C.

From October 25-28, eight Trailblazers and two teachers attended the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ) in Washington D.C. IFTJ is an annual gathering for members of the Ignatian family (those affiliated with both Jesuit institutions and the larger Catholic Church) to gather in the context of social justice and solidarity to learn, reflect, pray, network, and advocate together.

Senior Yoseline was one of the students who attended IFTJ. She shared that her favorite part of attending IFTJ is the social issues on various scales that are discussed and presented on. "Over the weekend, I gained insight into topics like the state of migration in the US, climate change, and the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. I valued hearing how these are viewed through the lens of Catholicism and how our faith calls us to take moral action in addressing them.”

“IFTJ allows students to connect their faith identity with their interest in social justice and to understand the long history of Catholics advocating for social justice, peace, and the dignity of all people. In addition, the Conference culminates with a visit to our elected officials' offices where students advocate for policies aligned with Catholic, Jesuit values. This teaches students the importance of advocacy and civic engagement,” History teacher Ben Rangel said. “I love seeing students involved and passionate about improving our society, and the students love their experience at IFTJ and in DC. We've had former and current IFTJ participants apply for colleges in D.C. because of their trip and some even make adjustments to their potential college majors because of the things they learn while in DC and at IFTJ.”

Yoseline was also one of those who presented at IFTJ, along with Senior Maritza. The two presented on “Navigating 1st Generation Pathways to Higher Education". Yoseline said, “While CRJ successfully prepares us for college through its college prep model, many other first-generation students lack access to similar resources. The journey to higher education doesn’t end with receiving a college acceptance, and Maritza and I believe it’s about how first-gen students can successfully strive toward earning a degree. As students whose parents did not obtain a college degree, we believed it was important to identify strategies to share with other students to bring back to their community and combat this ongoing issue.”

CRJ’s IFTJ cohort was also able to see some of the sites in Washington, D.C., including a tour of the White House, exploring the National Mall, and visiting landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and Washington Monument. We are so grateful for experiences like these that give students opportunities to put their faith in action thanks to generous financial support from the CRJ community.

In 2016, President Andy Stith presented Sarah & Jeff Joerres with the "Spirit of Cristo Rey Jesuit" award.

Recently, I attended a meeting at ManpowerGroup’s headquarters in Milwaukee. When I walked into the main entrance, I was so proud to see Manpower Group’s Cristo Rey student worker was stationed at the reception desk to greet arriving visitors. I watched as he welcomed each visitor before me professionally and with a smile. When I approached the desk, the student looked up and smiled from ear to ear as he recognized me. Recomposing himself to return to his professional persona, he calmly said, “Good morning Mr. Stith, can I see your ID?” I handed the student my ID to complete the check-in process and the student then escorted me to my meeting room. Once we arrived, he wished me a good day and headed back to the front desk to assist other guests. I always love seeing students perform at workplaces because it tells me a lot about what they are getting out of their experience. At ManpowerGroup, I could tell the student was mentored well and enjoyed his placement.

ManpowerGroup is a large international company whose website boasts the slogan “A Brighter Future is Humanly Possible.” As a company whose mission, in simple terms, is to build and connect talent to the workplace in order to change the world for the better, I was immediately drawn to the alignment of vision between ManpowerGroup and Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). Through their CWSP experience, students gain real world work experience at hospitals, banks, law firms, schools, nonprofits and a host of other types of organizations in the Milwaukee area. Seeing our student worker in action at Manpower Group was gratifying to see because of the incredibly valuable work experience the student was receiving. It was also symbolically important, however, because the CWSP was first pitched to business and community leaders at ManpowerGroup in 2014 when we were seeking businesses who would help us launch our school by providing students with work experiences at their organizations. 

During our feasibility study in 2014, very few people knew what Cristo Rey or CWSP were, and we needed to explain the vision to leaders in order to get the buy-in and student work experiences to open the school in 2015. Jeff Joerres, CEO of ManpowerGroup at the time, and early champion of Cristo Rey Jesuit agreed to host an informational meeting for business leaders. Our program consisted of a number of people endorsing business involvement including Marquette University leadership, a business leader from Chicago who hosted students at his business, and a local high performing school leader. The most impactful endorsement, though, came from Jeff Joerres. I can distinctly remember towards the conclusion of the program Jeff asking for the microphone. Jeff was slated to thank everyone for coming, but he did a lot more than that! Jeff gave a tremendously inspiring talk about the potential impact of our school, announced that ManpowerGroup was going to commit to student work experiences, and challenged other groups to do the same. That pivotal moment that gave us some powerful momentum to rally other businesses to commit to bringing this school and work program to Milwaukee. 

Given that seminal moment in our history, it is so meaningful to me ten years later to see our student worker welcoming guests at ManpowerGroup’s reception desk, gaining valuable work experience, and preparing for his future. He, along with his 460 classmates who are part of our work experience, are proving everyday that the vision of opportunity we had ten years ago for Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Milwaukee’s young people, and partner businesses, like ManpowerGroup IS humanly possible…and, we believe, will lead to a brighter future for our students and community.

100% COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE FOR CLASS OF 2025!

For the seventh straight year, all graduating seniors have been accepted to a four-year college or university, and they did it at a rate faster than any class ever at CRJ! Director of Postgraduate Success Zuleyka Rios and college counselors Michael Vazquez and Heidi Ancira worked with the class since the first day of school to help each student find the "Best Fit" college experience. Rios said, “I am so proud of the Class of 2025 and even more proud of our College Counselors, Michael Vazquez and Heidi Ancira, for their work helping our students submit strong applications to best-fit colleges. We set a record with all students accepted by November 7. We look forward to supporting our seniors as they select and ultimately enroll in college next fall.”

In less than 60 school days, the 103 CRJ seniors completed nearly 1,000 college applications. Their hard work resulted in 495 acceptances, an average of 5 per student! 90% of the class of 2025 will be the first in their family to attend college. We look forward to sharing more about the incredible accomplishments of our seniors during the upcoming months. Congratulations again to the Class of 2025 on already reaching 100% college acceptance!

ADVENT SERVICE PROJECT TO HELP THOSE IN NEED

Watch the video of last year's food packing at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin

As the holiday season approaches, Cristo Rey Jesuit is preparing for the third annual Advent Service Project to give 1,200 meal boxes to those in need. CRJ students, faculty, and friends will partner with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin (FAEW), Phoenix Investors and The Frank Crivello Family Foundation to pack and distribute Holiday Food baskets for our neighbors.

More than 22 tons of food will be packed into the 1,200 boxes by CRJ students and volunteers in early December at FAEW. The boxes will then be distributed to those in need on December 14th at the CRJ campus. In addition, El Rey Foods has donated gift cards for each box so recipients can purchase fresh meats and produce to go with the nonperishable items in the food boxes.

If you're interested in volunteering to help with food box distribution on December 14th, contact Associate Director of Advancement Darby Koehne at dkoehne@cristoreymilwaukee.org.

Thank you to our partners at FAEW, Phoenix Investors, The Frank Crivello Family Foundation and El Rey Foods for your support in helping fill a vital need for our community.

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 Everette Fernandes at 414.436.4600 Ext. 3141 or efernandes@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.