Ready and Excited to Embark on This Journey of Learning
One Saturday morning, the NPI 6.0 class went to Cristo Rey High School in San Jose, and we were greeted by 15 high school juniors. These juniors are soon to be the first graduating class of the San Jose school. These students, who took half of their Saturday to show some unknown college students around their school, took immense pride in their school and exhibited an admirable amount of motivation and ambition.
Cristo Rey is a group of Catholic high schools whose mission is to empower and encourage underprivileged students in various location around the United States. The school focuses on preparing its students spiritually, academically, and professionally to graduate high school, attend a university, and to become successful and accomplished leaders in whatever field they decide to pursue.
After spending just a few hours with just a few Cristo Rey students, I am convinced that whatever this school is doing is working. One student in particular, Regina, exemplified Cristo Rey’s mission statement. Just from her introduction to our group, it was obvious that she is so motivated and passionate about what she is doing. She serves as the President of the student government, is head of the club that organizes immersion trips for the school, and is the captain of the volleyball team. As a 16-year-old, she already has a passion for and is actively pursuing a career in immigration law. This young woman has it together and there is not a doubt in my mind that she will achieve all of the goals she sets out to accomplish.
I left Cristo Rey feeling so inspired by not only Regina, but by every genuine and ambitious student that I met that day. Not only did the students share their professional goals with us, but they also spoke of their personal stories and backgrounds. Many of them come from low-income immigrant families, and many aspire to be the first in their family to go to college. There are so many factors working against these students in pursuing their ambitions that a lot of Santa Clara University students take for granted. Yet these students are so motivated to change their circumstances. It’s impossible to determine what sparks the ambition in these students, but whatever Cristo Rey is doing to encourage them and help them reach their full potential must have something to do with it.
Cristo Rey is an incredible school with a commendable mission and values. The school is fostering the growth of and investing in students who are more than willing to utilize any and all opportunities that come their way. The orientation day visit to the school was a great way to start our NPI experience. It gave us the opportunity to directly interact with the community that we will be working with. More than anything, meeting the Cristo Rey students confirmed that this will be a great learning experience for me. They put me in the right mindset that if I keep an open mind and remain open to learning throughout this process, I will learn way more from the community and business owners than I could ever teach them with my business school education. This class will be a two-way learning street and I am ready and excited to embark on this journey.