Joe Plata: Diving in Headfirst
Working at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is something I had never imagined myself doing, but I couldn’t be happier to be taking advantage of this opportunity. My role at Cristo Rey includes starting a business and entrepreneurship club, as well as assisting with the senior Economics class and personal finance curriculum. Even though I have only been in this placement for a few weeks, I feel very involved and active in the Cristo Rey community, which I believe is allowing me to truly experience the purpose of the LSB Community Fellows Program.
I have held Business and Entrepreneurship Club meetings, learned about the lives and passions of some students, and even taught an Economics class. These experiences have all challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone, and have forced me to think critically about how to effectively communicate my knowledge and experiences to students of different ages and backgrounds, who have grown up with experiences unlike my own. I was nervous when I first started this fellowship, but I immediately felt welcomed by the students and faculty at Cristo Rey, who helped me to realize that we are all in this together. They have been a consistent source of support for both myself and the work I’m doing.
I feel welcomed as a member of the Cristo Rey family and I am looking forward to continuing and expanding my role at the school for the rest of my time in this program. I have always been interested in education, but had never seriously considered the possibility of being involved in it in a substantial way. My time at Cristo Rey, however, has now made me want to continue supporting education in some form during my career. I can’t say for sure in what capacity this would be, but there is something special about being able to pass my knowledge on to students, and it feels rewarding in an incomparable way. I hope I can continue to effectively do this in my time at Cristo Rey, and I believe that the students and I can help each other grow in various aspects.