by admin | Jun 1, 2023 | Academic
Thrust into a time of uncertainty by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 101 students of the Class of ’23 persevered with an astounding 96% of the class that started as freshmen graduating together Saturday, May 27th. The graduating seniors were joined by their families, friends, classmates, teachers, and administration for a commencement ceremony, celebrating and giving thanks for their benchmark achievements.
“The reality is these students faced more challenges during the last four years, than most of us do in a lifetime,” Principal Mike Odiotti told those gathered in the packed gym “But they are testimony to acting with purpose, agency, and grit. Their courage in the face of fear teaches us all to not be afraid as we face life’s challenges. They have set the bar high for future classes. Now it is time for them to go forth and build a better world. Our hope is that they will seek always to ‘ever excel.”
Gisella C.,salutatorian, echoed the theme: “Wherever we go from here, remember it is okay to be afraid starting over. But remember we are all community made. Anything is possible knowing everyone is rooting for us. We are capable!”
by admin | May 10, 2023 | Development
Over 180 guests raised more than $520,000 Saturday, April 29, 2023 at the Founders’ Dinner benefiting CRSM students as they strive to create new stories on their journey to adulthood. At the event, “Writing New Chapters,” the CRSM community honored Ed and Dorothy Wehmer for their loyal support from the very beginning.
“Thank you for being here tonight, and even more importantly, thank you for being Founders of our school,” said Preston Kendall, president of CRSM. “As Founders, you are co-authors along with our students, as they navigate high school, attend college, pursue professional careers, and explore their next chapter in life. We are grateful for all of you.”
The evening began with a 5 p.m. Mass celebrated by Fr. Ted Munz, SJ, followed by a cocktail reception, dinner and after party.
Sponsors of the Founders’ Dinner included: Presenting Sponsors: Deborah and Ray Guerin; Lake Forest Bank & Trust and The Clerics of Saint Viator (Viatorians). Visionary Sponsors included: Abbott and Hollister. Academic Sponsors included: Charles W. & Patricia S. Bidwill Foundation; Kirkland and Ellis; The Rosenbloom Family; Perry Family Charitable Foundation and Clarke and Pat Smith. Professional Sponsors included: AbbVie; Andy and Lynn Kopon; NM Lake Forest Hospital; Society of the Holy Child Jesus and Underwriters Laboratories Standards & Engagement.
by admin | Apr 27, 2023 | Alumni Spotlight
During her salutatorian speech eight years ago, Anissa Garza shared that graduating from Cristo Rey was a triumph for her whole family. Today, those words have never rung truer for the first-generation student, her two younger brothers, and parents. All their lives, she says, have been shaped and transformed by the support of the CRSM community.
Now 26-years-old, the second-highest ranking graduate of the CRSM Class of ’15 is in her first year of a doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Memphis. She’s also a graduate research assistant in the REACH Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Kathryn Howell.
A former Schuler scholar, her LinkedIn is a checklist of many achievements, including graduating from Bates College in Lewiston, MA with a dual degree in psychology and religious studies. She’s served for the last three years as a research assistant at the National Center for PTSD in Boston, MA. At Bates, Anissa a Bonner Program scholar, volunteered at a program for adults with Alzheimer’s and served as a Program Assistant at the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine. She also was the recipient of the Harward Award for Outstanding Community Volunteerism and Student Leadership from Bates’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships.
During the same time, her mom, Elida, “Ellie,” was promoted from food service lead at Waukegan High School to Assistant Food Service Director for the entire Waukegan school district. Her brother, Raul, CRSM Class of ’19 and Promise Scholar, is graduating in May from Marion University in Fond du Lac, WI with a psychology degree. Her youngest brother, Daniel, is about to enter high school. Her father, who struggled with employment when Anissa was in high school, is a foreman at a local landscaping company.
The grit and perseverance she absorbed from her years at CRSM have been her driving force during graduate school.
“I never expected landing a post-baccalaureate research assistant position to be so difficult, but when institutions turned me down, I relied on Mr.O’s (Mike Odiotti, principal) teaching about grit and perseverance. If he hadn’t ingrained that in me, I might have given up. But instead, I just kept churning out applications and reaching out to the network I had built for myself during my undergraduate studies.”
These days, when she’s not taking three classes and working 20 hours as a graduate research assistant, Anissa loves taking her dog, Tala, for walks at the nearby Overton Park in Memphis, TN. During COVID, she also discovered the therapeutic and stress-reducing rewards of refinishing old furniture, stripping it and giving it new life.
“We all had to work really hard to get me here,” says Anissa. She says her graduate research studies were inspired by her own witnessing of young people struggling with mental health issues, a topic that is generally highly stigmatized in the Latino culture.
by admin | Apr 20, 2023 | CWSP
For 30 years, Mari-Lou Menezes worked with client companies to develop and implement strategic plans to support their working capital needs and growth including their access to capital markets. As an executive director for JPMorgan Chase & Co. in downtown Chicago, her end goal was to drive sales growth and produce successful outcomes for her clients.
These days, the retired Northbrook resident spends two days a week hunkered down over her computer in a cubicle in the CRSM Corporate Work Study Department. There, she helps grade and coach students on their writing styles for their work-study time card reports. Some days Mari-Lou also mentors students who are either struggling at their current job or who have been removed from their work-study assignment. She and a team of CWSP coaches use the book Seven Habits of Highly Successful Teens as an outline for these talks.
“I see my role as helping students turn their dreams into reality,” says Mari-Lou. She has been volunteering for CRSM for the last two years. Mari-Lou is one of four CWSP members of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) Chicago, who volunteer for the work-study program. IVC is an American-Catholic volunteer service which matches volunteers with charities and nonprofits.
“Mari-Lou is very good at encouraging and working with our students,” says Brian Weinberg, Director of the Corporate Work-Study Program.
A native of India, Mari-Lou spent her early career years teaching English in her native country. When she moved to the United States as a young adult, she pursued advanced studies and graduated from DePaul University’s Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
“Mari-Lou brings a unique cultural experience for our students, showing them how she created her own success journey, and they can relate because she too is a person of color,” says Brian. “She’s very good in establishing strong one-on-one relationships with them.”
Mari-Lou says: “I am continually amazed and inspired by how much the students have on their plates to juggle. It seems overwhelming, yet they push through and work hard to achieve. I am honored and grateful to work alongside them.”
CRSM is blessed and truly grateful for volunteers such as Mari-Lou, who give of their time and expertise, and make a significant contribution to our students’ success!
by admin | Apr 7, 2023 | Campus Ministry
Students honored Holy Thursday with a special “casual dress day” fundraiser. Sponsored by the OPT Club, (Oportunidades Para Todos/Opportunities for All), students were allowed to dress in casual clothes, instead of their usual dress code standards, in exchange for a small donation.
The $756.25 in donations from the students, (faculty and staff also made small contributions) will be given to Bethany House of Hospitality in Chicago, which offers housing and support services to young immigrant women as they journey to independence. The female asylum-seeking refugees come from 18 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South and Central America. In the fall, students raised $705.00 for the Viatorian House of Hospitality in Des Plaines, which is run by the Viatorians (CRSM sponsors) and is for young men. To participate, students paid $2 if they wore purple or white for Lent, or $3 for simply dressing down.
“Everyone was enthusiastic, and many students just threw in $5.00 and said, ‘keep the change,” said Iris Sanchez, campus minister who along with Jim Dippold, Director of Campus Ministry, moderates the club. “They really are all about creating awareness of social injustices.” Iris added that the student organization will have a booth at an Issue Showcase on Feb. 21st at Waukegan High School.
