by Miranda Eby | Jan 16, 2026 | Alumni Spotlight, School News
Alondra Murillo, a Cristo Rey St. Martin Class of 2018 graduate, is a powerful example of how the Corporate Work Study Program can shape long-term success and come full circle. Now a Senior HR Operations Specialist at AbbVie, Alondra is also supervising a current CRSM student intern in the same department where she once worked as a student.
After graduating from CRSM, Alondra balanced full-time work with college, earning her bachelor’s degree in HR Management from UIC and later a Master’s in Business Administration from Dominican University. For the majority of her undergraduate career, she continued working at AbbVie, transitioning from a student worker to an intern and finally to a full-time employee.
This year marks the first time in five years that Alondra’s team has hosted a Cristo Rey student. Drawing from her own experience, she is intentional about creating a supportive environment.
“I know coming in as a student, it’s very frightening because your grade depends on it and your tuition depends on it. I really try to take that pressure off.”
Reflecting on CWSP’s impact, Alondra credits the program with opening doors she had not originally planned to pursue.
“When I realized I didn’t want to be pre-med anymore, I had options, and the corporate world was one of them because of the Corporate Work Study Program.”
Now stepping into a leadership role, Alondra sees supervising a student as a way to give back.
“I’m hopeful I can give back by mentoring somebody and helping them grow into wherever they’re meant to be.”
Alondra’s journey highlights the lasting impact of Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program and the power of alumni who return to support the next generation.
by Miranda Eby | Jan 16, 2026 | Academic, School News
Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep is proud to announce that we have earned Platinum recognition on the 2025 AP School Honor Roll, the highest level of distinction awarded by the College Board, for the third consecutive year.
Of the 15,887 eligible schools nationwide, only 7% achieved Platinum status. This recognition honors schools that are expanding access to Advanced Placement coursework while ensuring strong student outcomes.
Earning Platinum distinction reflects excellence across three key areas:
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College Culture: Students taking and succeeding in AP courses
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College Credit: Students earning qualifying AP exam scores
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College Optimization: Students taking multiple AP exams to build strong college readiness
The Class of 2025 exceeded the College Board’s Platinum benchmarks across every metric, underscoring the hard work of our students, the dedication of our educators, and the strength of our broader school community.
Cristo Rey St. Martin is honored to be in excellent company among Illinois schools earning Platinum recognition, including Regina Dominican High School, Saint Ignatius College Prep, Lane Technical College Prep, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, DePaul College Prep, Fenwick High School, Jones College Preparatory, Northside College Preparatory, and other distinguished college-preparatory institutions across the state.
This achievement affirms our mission to prepare students for success in college and beyond.
May we seek “ever to excel” in all we do.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 19, 2025 | President’s Pen
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing…”
Friday afternoon, and the remaining few students have completed the last of their semester exams. The school is empty, and I’m walking past our chapel, where a small Nativity scene is set up at the entrance. Above it on the wall are posters our students made weeks ago when ICE’s presence in Waukegan was peaking, and several neighbors and even parents of our students were seized. They offer gospel-based messages about loving our neighbors and welcoming those who are different. We didn’t actually plan to have the posters and Nativity together, but the coincidence is certainly a good representation of who we are as a school community.
In fact, we hadn’t planned on a Nativity at all this year until one of our maintenance team members brought in a handmade stable with figures of the Holy Family and the Magi. Clearly, a labor of love that he wanted to share with others. What began as a simple and sparsely populated panorama of Christ’s birth began growing over the last couple of weeks as students started supplementing the basic set with extra animals, more greenery, paper flowers, a star, and some miniature Christmas decorations. Even a snowman, Santa Claus, and some cartoon characters came to pay homage to baby Jesus at the center of it all.
As you can imagine, the sizes of many of the animals and other figures vary – some disproportionately big or small compared to the core figurines, but all added with care and good intent, using what was available, even if not a perfect fit. The result is a slightly edgy but highly inclusive and respectful creche.
It’s a reminder that the birth of Christ is an incredibly radical story. Not just the incomprehensible act of our Creator loving us so much that he chooses to become one of us, but more importantly, that God chooses to be human in the most humble and vulnerable way possible. Look at the central characters: Joseph, a refugee and not the biological father of the baby; Mary, the pregnant teenager repeatedly turned away by innkeepers; the Magi, distant foreigners of a different faith; nomad shepherds, some of the poorest and roughest of society; and, of course, baby Jesus, born under Roman occupation whose first bed was a feeding trough in an unheated shed. These are not the powerful or privileged, they are not Roman citizens or the respected of society. They are the marginalized, the rejected, the outcasts. Christmas slaps us upside our heads and proclaims that our God is a God of the humble, a God of the poor, a God who turns the world upside down with priorities and values that are very different from our human and societal expectations. Christmas demands that if we truly believe in the Christ story, then each of us is called to greater inclusivity and accompaniment.
Although there are examples everywhere, a Catholic church in Massachusetts recently received lots of media coverage and resulting mixed responses to their Nativity scene when parishioners added signage about ICE and the current cruelty, violence, and indignities our government is inflicting on immigrants (and even American citizens they think look like immigrants). Their Nativity intentionally connected the present brutality and viciousness in the United States with that ancient, sacred birth, whereas ours just happened that way!
When you consider the actual Christmas story, it’s impossible not to see similarities. The priest at the Massachusetts church said something profound, “[The Nativity scene] is not supposed to be something that you look at and admire. It’s supposed to challenge you, to move you, to help you see things differently, to maybe force some questions that you know need to be answered.”
Christmas should scandalize us out of our comfort zone. The radically inclusive nature of the Christmas story, with its message of embracing the marginalized and displaced, is more important than ever. At a time when so many forces are working to divide us and deny at least some of us our humanity, the Nativity scene should be a reminder that God is found among the poor, the suffering, the excluded, the persecuted, and the oppressed. God sides with the vulnerable and implores us to love them and act for justice on their behalf.
This Christmas, let’s allow God to turn our expectations and our priorities upside down. Let that baby at the center of the Nativity scene lead us to a new way of living, to a new way of looking at the world, where comfort and joy are not what the season brings to us but are what God calls us to bring to those on the margins. This Christmas, let every heart prepare Him room!
¡Viva, Cristo Rey!
by Miranda Eby | Dec 18, 2025 | Campus Ministry, School News
On December 11, 2025, our school community gathered for Mass in a vibrant and moving celebration for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, honoring a tradition that continues to shape the faith, resilience, and cultural pride of so many of our families.
The celebration was enriched by the presence of Fr. Brendan Curran, OP, a Dominican priest and longtime advocate for immigrant communities. Fr. Brendan is a prominent Chicago faith leader who has been recently featured in national news for his leadership on immigration reform and his work with The Resurrection Project. He offered a reflection on what it means to say yes to compassion, dignity, and justice in today’s world. He reminded us that “God reminds us to say yes even in times of struggle.”
Students also shared heartfelt personal reflections that honored the strength of their families, the importance of cultural and spiritual traditions, and the enduring presence of Our Lady as a source of comfort and protection. Their words grounded the celebration in lived experience and echoed the voices of many who find hope through faith.
As flowers were brought forward in devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the community united in prayer, song, and gratitude, lifting up all who seek belonging, safety, and peace. The celebration concluded with joyful porras in her honor, a reminder that our faith is not only prayed but lived together.
May we continue to embody the spirit of the feast and renew our commitment to love, justice, and saying yes to one another.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 18, 2025 | Academic, School News, Student Life
“Learn, pray, advocate.”
This guiding spirit came alive November 15-17 this year, as five of our upperclassmen traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (IFTJ). The gathering is a 28-year tradition rooted in honoring the Jesuits and their companions who were martyred in El Salvador. Hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, the Teach-In brings together thousands of students each year to explore the profound connection between faith, justice, and the call to act.
This year’s theme, Pressing On, invited participants to reflect on how hope endures in the face of injustice. For Daniel F., the message resonated deeply. After attending sessions on immigration and on the economic dynamics between the United States and Mexico, he walked away with a renewed sense of purpose. “Pressing on means to have hope. Hope is stubborn and does not give up. We must be stubborn and continue to advocate for ourselves and others.
Itzel P. shared that simply being selected to attend was “a blessing,” and that the experience opened her eyes to the collective power of young people pursuing justice together. Surrounded by a room full of peers passionate about social issues, including immigration and environmental sustainability, she found strength in the Teach-In’s reminder that representation matters. She reflected, “Hope is very stubborn. Regardless of how we look or what labels people give us, we are what God intended us to be.”
For Claudia G., the Teach-In provided a deeply personal connection to her own family story. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, she found clarity and affirmation in hearing the testimonies of others who had crossed borders in search of opportunity. “After hearing the unique stories of individuals who immigrated in a similar manner to my parents, I understood more fully the emotional and challenging aspects of leaving the country that carried my ancestors’ blood,” she shared. The experience strengthened her commitment to advocate for immigration and refugee justice, “because immigrants are people, and they must be treated like it.”
We are grateful to Mr. Taus for accompanying our students on this transformative journey and for helping them bring these lessons back to our school community. Their reflections remind us that hope, persistent and rooted in faith, compels us not only to press on but to lift others with us.
