The Cristo Rey Network salutes Shining Stars from our schools!

We've asked each school to highlight two "Shining Stars".

Read about our students’ accomplishments and share their hope for the future!

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Baltimore, Maryland

• Xavier (class of 2011) is a graduate of Southeast Middle School in Southeast Baltimore. He works at Legg Mason, an investment firm. At Cristo Rey Jesuit, he plays soccer and lacrosse, is a member of the class of 2011 advisory board, and sings alto in the school choir. He is a gifted singer and public speaker, and even appeared on stage with Bill Cosby during this year’s citywide Black History Month celebration! Xavier lives with his mother at Marian House in the Better Waverly neighborhood. Marian House is a supportive housing program sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of Mercy. Xavier is dedicated to making a difference in Baltimore City, and has completed 160 hours of service at organizations such as Movable Feast, which delivers meals to AIDS and breast cancer patients, and St. Frances Academy Community Center.

• Antoinette (class of 2011) is a graduate of Mother Seton Academy, a Nativity Miguel school located in East Baltimore. She lives with a family that has informally adopted her, as her father is deceased and she has little contact with her mother who has had some challenges that make it difficult for her to maintain a relationship with her daughter. Antoinette works at DLA Piper LLC, a leading law firm. This is a perfect fit for her, as she one day hopes to be a lawyer or a pediatric registered nurse. Last summer, Antoinette worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital to learn more about the nursing field. She is a member of the school’s basketball and soccer teams. Antoinette is proud to be a Cristo Rey Jesuit student, and says that “Cristo Rey makes me want to be better and think better!”

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

Chicago, IL

• Ivan (class of 2009) will proudly receive his Cristo Rey diploma in June despite the challenges he faced with the premature death of both of his parents. He maintained a positive attitude and had great success in school. Reyes led the junior class on their Kairos retreat and amassed more than 134 hours beyond the required 80 hours of volunteer service to graduate. Reyes works at Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation for his internship, which pays 70 percent of the tuition at Cristo Rey. He will attend St. Mary’s University in Minnesota.

• Maritza (class of 2009) achieved a long list of academic honors that makes her school and family proud, but it is her outstanding character that inspires them. In addition to her corporate internship job in the IT department of Northwestern University Hospital, she maintains two outside jobs. Each month she pays $50 for her tuition and another $50 for her younger brother because her parents lost their jobs due to the economy. Both she and her brother have consistently been on the honor roll. Contreras’ dream is to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. She now is deciding whether to attend Georgetown University or Marquette University.

Notre Dame High School

Lawrence, MA

• Gio (class of 2009) is a natural leader both in and out of the classroom.  Gio spends much of his time outside of school working to help support his family, volunteering at Adelante, a youth organization, and volunteering at his church.  In school, Gio not only excels in the classroom, but also on the basketball court and as a student ambassador.  Gio is a hard worker and is always willing to lend a helping hand to teachers and his peers.  Gio will attend the College of the Holy Cross on a full scholarship to study engineering.

• Mabel (class of 2009) is a hard working student who excels both in and out of the classroom.  Mabel is a student ambassador, graciously helping out with events and interview days, serving as the public face of the school to the larger Lawrence community. Mabel also volunteers at her church, teaching catechism every Sunday. For her Hire4Ed positions Mabel has worked as a teller at Stoneham Bank, but has also enjoyed working with Alzheimer’s patients. Mabel plans on attending Fairfield University on a full tuition scholarship.

St. Martin de Porres High School

Waukegan, IL

• Erik (class of 2009)  loves putting jigsaw puzzles together. Now he has figured out how to make the pieces of his present school life fit into his future plans. Carrasco has been active in school activities since freshman year. He is a member of the cross-cultural club, student council and the National Honor Society, and he managed the school store — buying wares, counting the money and keeping records of all expenses and profits. It is likely that his job gave him the foundation for his Hire4Ed, the school’s innovative workstudy program and positions in two local Lake County banks. Academically, he achieved high honor roll status for each of his semesters at St. Martin de Porres and received more than 25 awards for leadership and other school-related roles. Carrasco has been offered nearly $250,000 in scholarship money from eight universities. He plans to attend the University of San Francisco.

• Wendy (class of 2009)  needed a little extra prodding by her parents to enroll at St. Martin de Porres. But when her senior year arrived and her family moved to Mexico, she knew that the only place from which she wanted her high school diploma was from SMdP. She credits the school and its work-study program, Hire4ED, for helping her develop strong interpersonal skills and allowing her to leave her shyness at the proverbial door. Esparza involved herself in many activities including volleyball, track, the cross-cultural club, the Global Leadership Program and student council among others. Esparza is one of eight seniors from Cristo Rey Network Schools across the country who was chosen to become a Cristo Rey Scholar at Loyola University Chicago. By accepting, Esparza receives an annual full-tuition scholarship and room and board, estimated at $41,000 per year.