CHICAGO (June 7, 2022): Today, the Cristo Rey Network announced a $1,320,000 grant from the Deloitte Foundation to provide critical college scholarship funds to graduating seniors in the Class of 2022. Administered and managed by the Cristo Rey Network national office, this grant provides $40,000 to each of the 33 of 38 Cristo Rey schools with a senior class to assist Class of 2022 graduates who intend to pursue one of 11 eligible majors at a postsecondary institution of their choice. 

"For a second year in a row, the Deloitte Foundation is making an extraordinary investment in the college success of our young men and women," said Elizabeth Goettl, Cristo Rey Network President and CEO. "The Deloitte and Deloitte Foundation’s multi-pronged collaboration with our movement, locally and nationally, is helping our students to achieve their aspirations to contribute to our country’s future workforce.”

Each local Cristo Rey school is selecting four to eight recipients, named Deloitte Foundation Scholars, who will each be awarded $5,000-$10,000 towards their chosen four-year degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Data Science, Data Analytics, or Math. Furthermore, each Deloitte Foundation Scholar needs to demonstrate academic, leadership excellence, and financial need.

“This generosity is truly life-changing for students. College acceptance is only one part of the process, as financial limitations are more often the determining factor in which school a student ultimately attends,” remarked Dr. Anthony Zavagnin, Principal at Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School in Methuen, MA. “This grant will once again open doors for deserving students and ease the burden on families.”

Last year’s investment of $558,000 from the Deloitte Foundation reached 70 Cristo Rey scholars across the Network’s Class of 2021. One Deloitte Foundation Scholar from Notre Dame Cristo Rey, an accounting major, first expected to begin her education at a local community college. The generous grant from the Deloitte Foundation, however, offered her the financial support to start her degree in accounting at a four-year university instead, where she was named Student of the Month during her freshman year.

"The Deloitte Foundation is thrilled to be able to provide scholarships to Cristo Rey high school students for the second year," remarked Erin Scanlon, President, Deloitte Foundation. "Our work, which sits at the intersection of education and equity, helps to build inclusive pipelines of talent ready for the future of work. Inspiring and supporting these future business leaders on their educational journeys is a critical step.” 

Cristo Rey Network is developing and scaling resources and tools to not only sustain, but increase, strong college enrollment and completion. Deloitte Foundation Scholars, along with all Cristo Rey college enrollees, will receive individualized guidance from a local Cristo Rey school alumni advisor as students navigate their postsecondary trajectory. In addition, the Cristo Rey Network’s National Alumni Association will connect students to mentorship opportunities with fellow alumni as well as workforce development offerings from Alumni Partners.

About the Cristo Rey Network 
The Cristo Rey Network of 38 high schools delivers a career focused, college preparatory education in the Catholic tradition for students with limited economic resources, uniquely integrating rigorous academic curricula with four years of professional work experience and support to and through college. Cristo Rey partners with educators, businesses and communities to enable students to fulfill their aspirations for a lifetime of success: students are more than twice as likely to complete a bachelor's degree by age 24, compared to the total U.S. low-income population. 

About the Deloitte Foundation
The Deloitte Foundation, founded in 1928, is a not-for-profit organization that supports education in the U.S. through a variety of initiatives that help develop the next generation of diverse business leaders, and their influencers, and promote excellence in teaching, research and curriculum innovation. The Foundation sponsors an array of national programs relevant to a variety of professional services, benefiting high school students, undergraduates, graduate students and educators.