Support Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee as the graduating class of 2024 make their college commitments today!

Your gift will fuel college initiatives and other school programming that gives students access to rigorous college preparatory education, professional work experience,  and best in class college counseling and alumni advising that propels them to and through college and into meaningful careers. 

Cristo Rey students graduate from college at twice the rate of their socioeconomic peers. Your investment in our mission helps students like Cristal:

“I was introduced to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School through my brother Marco’s experience as a member of the founding class. He would talk about how much he liked the school, his teachers and being a part of the community. When it was my turn to pick a high school, my mom saw the positive results from my brother’s experience and urged me to go to CRJ as well. The idea of working in a corporate environment on a weekly basis as part of my education, in addition to the new building that I had seen pictures of, were both really intriguing to me, and I agreed that Cristo Rey would be a great fit for me.

Academics has always been incredibly important to my family. My mom is always checking in on me to make sure my grades are where I need to be. My brother has also been a huge supporter, sharing study tips he had picked up in college to help me with my CRJ school work. The tips were very helpful last year when I was taking three Advanced Placement courses. My brother reminded me that working hard now would pay off in the future.

I can’t thank my teachers enough for all the support that they offer and for how flexible they are to be available to students through office hours or after school. They have shown me and my classmates over and over how much they care. We don’t feel like we are just students to them – they are with us to help in any way they can.

Coming to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, I was new to what a ‘Jesuit’ education meant. I really connected with the idea of service to others. During my time at CRJ, I felt inspired by the Jesuit mission to volunteer after school as a mentor for middle school girls. We would do an hour of sports and an hour of academics with the girls, and seeing the growth these girls had made me thank God that I could be there to help others in my community. My Jesuit education helped me to be more grateful, to be more present in the moment and that my attitude can help others grow. 

I was able to reflect a lot on my faith in lots of different ways that I had never thought of thanks to my Cristo Rey education, and my Kairos retreat was a life changing experience for me. It helped me to reflect on how I’ve grown as a person at CRJ, and has inspired me to be a better person. I think about the experience every day, and it is why I want my younger sisters to come to Cristo Rey Jesuit as well – so they can experience moments like I had during Kairos.

The clubs at Cristo Rey Jesuit have also helped me grow as a person. I have spent two years in our Orgullo Latino club, including as vice president during my senior year. It has helped me grow in my culture as well as a person through the social justice aspects that the club explores. I have been responsible for different speaker series at the school and bringing in people from our community who can talk about being a first generation student as well as speaking about mental health issues. I want to be an advocate for those who don’t have a voice and affect change in my community.

My personal experiences with mental health issues through members of my family have inspired me to be a clinical psychologist. I want to help others who face mental health challenges and be someone people can reach out to for help. I will be attending Marquette University in the fall to pursue this career path. I also am excited to continue learning through a Jesuit education and following the teachings of St. Ignatius.

I have worked for the past three years at Michael Best through the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) as well as during the summer. CWSP gave me very valuable work experience as well as networking connections I never would’ve had access to. During my college selection process, I was able to talk with one of my co-workers who graduated from Marquette about their experience and get answers to some questions that I had from them. I had such a great relationship with my supervisors and co-workers. They made me feel welcome and like a part of their team and not just a student worker. In fact, they even took me out for a celebration lunch after I was accepted to Marquette earlier this year.

Our parents are the main reason that my siblings and I want to go to college and succeed academically. My two younger sisters often ask me for advice on what they need to do to get into Cristo Rey Jesuit when they are old enough. They have seen and heard what the experience has done for my brother and me in preparing us for college and beyond. I love being a role model for them, and I love being a Trailblazer.”

Support Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee today!