It’s important to pause and celebrate accomplishments. September 15th was a celebratory and memorable day at Cristo Rey Jesuit. We officially, after waiting over a year due to COVID restrictions, cut the ribbon to commemorate the opening of our new campus. We paused to recall all that our students, staff, and supportive community members have accomplished since Cristo Rey Jesuit’s inception in 2015.
Six years ago, we established this school, starting with 129 freshmen. Since then, we’ve grown to a student body of nearly 440 students to be among the largest Cristo Rey schools in our national network. We collaborated with dozens of businesses to provide students with rich work experiences. We raised millions of dollars for investment in our students, programs, employees, and facilities. We developed a faith formation program for both our students and staff members. We achieved 100% college acceptance for each of our three graduating classes with every graduate realizing at least one four-year college acceptance. Alumni have been invited to work for Milwaukee corporations such as Northwestern Mutual, Advocate Aurora, Baird, Mortenson Construction, Husch Blackwell, and others while they attend college.
We celebrate because our students have opened doors of education and opportunity that they may have never imagined for themselves. Our alumni are professionally finding their way to places that are hungry for diverse, educated young people. Simply put, Cristo Rey Jesuit Trailblazers have begun to transform Milwaukee.
Someone once told me, “Never put a period where God intends a comma.” While we pause and celebrate our new campus and all those who make it more than just a building, it is just a comma. 1818 West National Avenue is just the beginning for CRJ students and the community, and the impact that they make as future leaders will be worthy of an exclamation point!
