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A group of Cristo Rey students who received their acceptance letters in person in December 2023, including Nahreen Shamon Ayala (third from right).
Press release provided by Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is now a University Partner of the Cristo Rey Network, which provides a quality, private education to students who couldn’t otherwise afford it. This comes as another step in expanding access to the Institute.

Georgia Tech is proud to announce a new partnership with the Cristo Rey Network, a nationwide network of 40 college preparatory high schools for students with limited economic resources. As a University Partner, Tech commits to making a college education accessible to admitted Cristo Rey students from around the United States.

This partnership marks another step taken to expand access to students from all backgrounds to study at the Institute. 

“Cristo Rey Network is known as ‘the school that works,’ because in addition to their rigorous classes, Cristo Rey students work a day each week to help offset tuition. That ethos and concept aligns perfectly with Georgia Tech, which has always emphasized real world skills, network building, and application of information beyond the classroom through our internship and co-op programs,” said Rick Clark, executive director of Strategic Student Access. “Cristo Rey students who have come to Tech have a phenomenal track record for success, and we are looking to expand our reach across their national network of schools.”

Tech has built a successful relationship with the Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School over the last decade. The Office of Undergraduate Admission visits annually for information sessions and has hand delivered admission decisions several times. In 2023, seven high school seniors at the school received their acceptance packets in person with help from the College of Engineering Dean Raheem Beyah.

“All my life I’ve been hoping to become one helluva engineer,” remarked Nahreen Shamon Ayala, who is now a biomedical engineering first-year at Tech, in video coverage of the hand delivery. “And now here I am as a Yellow Jacket.”

Tech kicked off their partnership with Cristo Rey this year by hosting a senior parent night on Sunday, August 24, led by Leri Argueta, Undergraduate Admission’s senior assistant director for access and inclusion. Argueta engaged with parents and seniors on the college application process, and what applying to Tech looks like.

“At Tech, we know approaching a college application can be difficult and confusing,” said Argueta. “By meeting with these parents and students, we can demystify the process and break down how to put together a holistic application. That helps them conquer that fear of the unknown and the anxiety that surrounds the application process.”

The Cristo Rey Network model provides a high-quality, college preparatory education while also engaging their students in four years of professional work experience, setting them up for success both during and after college. Cristo Rey students assist with high-level, meaningful projects and work at major corporate partners across industries nationwide. Atlanta’s Cristo Rey school’s current partners include companies like Delta Airlines, Home Depot, Coca-Cola, and beyond.

In recent years, Georgia Tech has also partnered with the school. For one student working in the College of Engineering dean’s office, his experience is what pushed him to apply to Tech.

“I came here in high school, loved the people, and kept coming back,” said Abraham Pizano, who worked in the dean’s office as a student assistant from 2019 to 2021, and has gone on to pursue a civil engineering master’s degree at Tech after receiving his bachelor’s degree from the Institute in May. “My job in the dean’s office gave me a kickstart to my current success at Tech.”

Beyond a rigorous educational experience, a key part of Cristo Rey’s mission is to serve students from low-income families, with the average household income of its students being $38,000 per year. By focusing on access for students from all backgrounds, Cristo Rey empowers their students to succeed in rigorous academic environments like Tech.

“Cristo Rey Network’s partnership with Georgia Tech reflects our shared mission to broaden access to education and empower our students to realize their full potential. This collaboration opens doors for our students to continue their education at an institution renowned for its tech-driven innovations that profoundly enhance the human experience,” said Sonya Ramirez, director of university partnerships at Cristo Rey Network.

Tech’s expansion efforts are supported in part by a generous, anonymous $500,000 gift to the Institute, allocated for the Cristo Rey Network partnership.