by admin | Jan 31, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
At 15 years old, Samantha Bahena made a pledge: “I want to be that one out of 10 students in Waukegan who goes to college,” which at the time was the trajectory. The 22-year-old CRSM Class of ’17 grad recently was named “Rookie of the Year,” at Advanced Resources where she works full-time as she completes her final semester at National Louis University. She is certainly poised to be the first in her family to graduate from college in June.
Balancing a full-time job and college is not an easy feat, but Samantha is no stranger to hard work.
When she graduates this summer, she will already have six years of recruiting experience, specializing in the placement of temporary and contract-to-hire office operations professionals. Since she was in high school, she began as a Staffing Coordinator intern, then transitioned to Recruiter for their Northbrook-based firm as part of her Corporate Work Study program. Today, she’s a full-time employee as a Consultant Engagement Associate. “Confident, well-spoken, very determined,” these are all words chosen to describe her since she joined the firm.
“Since coming into our organization, as a Sophomore at Cristo Rey, Sam Bahena has been an incredible asset to her team,” says her boss, Brian Brooke, Managing Director. “Sam has a desire that cannot be taught. She has taken that desire and has been humble, determined and extremely hard working in her progression at Advanced Resources. Starting as an intern, she earned the opportunity to do more complex and important tasks before finally becoming a recruiter in early 2021.”
He adds: “Sam parlayed that experience and desire into becoming the Rookie of the Year in 2021 for the whole organization. Sam has an incredibly bright future and I have no doubt that she will be successful in whatever she puts her mind to.”
“Working full-time and going to college is stressful for sure, but I know it will pay off in the long run,” she says.
It’s a lesson she learned at CRSM. “I saw that you had to put in all you can to be successful,” she says. “I’m pretty self-driven and competitive so I push myself and have friendly competitions with my co-workers. I am honored to have been recognized as Rookie of the Year. I want to thank Advanced Resources for the recognition, and for their constant support.”
As one of Advanced Resources’ 600 team members, Samantha has her eye on moving up the corporate ladder with her next win, a director’s title. In 10 years, she says she wants to be working, “have a home and two kids,” and get her Master’s degree.
Her advice for CRSM students:
“Be open to learning as much as you can,” Samantha says. “Be yourself, speak your mind and have confidence you can achieve your dreams. It’s hard for me to believe I was 15 years old working in a corporate job. But you can do anything you work hard for.”
by admin | Nov 30, 2021 | Student Life
Seniors Gallery, Eliza and Judy thought they were meeting with other members of the Class of 2022 and Principal Mike Odiotti to discuss outstanding details they needed to clear up before graduation next June; instead, the trio and 14 of their peers found a representative from Hope College waiting for them with surprise acceptance packages and a sea of congratulations.
“This is so exciting,” said Judy, who will be a first-generation college student. “It’s almost unbelievable to think I’m holding this and that it is real.” A member of the National Hispanic Honor Society, the National Honor Society and a Student Ambassador, Judy is looking forward to college and possibly pursuing a career in forensic science.
The trio were among the 18 students who received hand-delivered acceptance packages to Hope College, on Nov. 17. Hope College is a four-year liberal arts college in Holland, MI, which shares a like mission with CRSM, said Kayleigh Wonch, a CRSM English teacher and graduate of Hope College. Fifteen percent of students there are considered first-generation college students.
“At Hope College, we know that how we lead is how we live: with passion, curiosity and an anchored conviction to serve the world, which is very much like what you do at Cristo Rey St. Martin,” said Allison Bulson, admissions representative for Hope College who presented the acceptance packages.
Representatives from College Bound Opportunities and Waukegan to College also attended the acceptance event.
For CRSM seniors, ‘tis the season when they start hearing back from the colleges and universities they’ve applied to, and have shared their dreams in personal statements. Acceptances are just starting to dribble in.
“This is huge and makes it all seem like it’s really happening,” said Gallery, who is looking to pursue opportunities in environmental science.
by admin | Sep 30, 2021 | President’s Pen
“The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy. It depends upon the way we occupy that place.” – Saint Therese of Lisieux
Lately, people have been asking what it is like to be back in full-time classes at CRSM. My response is a single word, “Joyful.” It’s true. It is something more profound than happiness and is rooted in something bigger. When you walk down the halls or stop to chat with students in the cafeteria, there is a strong sense that everyone wants to be here and is ecstatic to finally be back together. Our new spaces certainly enhance being back together – the gym, the student union, and La Mesita de Martin coffee shop. At lunch, these places are teaming with students. The foosball and ping pong tables are constantly in use. La Mesita just started selling juice and snacks. (Faculty and staff are eager for the coffee equipment to arrive but even La Mesita can’t escape supply chain issues from the pandemic.) Yesterday, I wandered into the gym. There was a pick-up basketball game in one corner, a circle of students juggling a soccer ball in another, some others practicing volleyball digs and passes, and still others hanging out on the bleachers doing homework or talking with friends. If not for the masks, it was almost an archetypal pre-COVID high school moment – except, of course, CRSM never had a gym or any of these spaces before the pandemic. The fact that these scenes are now unfolding daily at CRSM is truly a gift! For so many years we did without such universal high school locales. Now that we have them, our students certainly aren’t taking them for granted.
The new space is truly a blessing and even more important now because of the deliberately gradual return-to-work timetables many of our business partners in the Corporate Work Study Program are implementing. In the program, four students job-share a full-time position at professional workplaces so, typically, 25% of our student body is out working every day. With some CWSP jobs still working remotely and others delaying their re-openings, we currently have thirty more students in the building each day than planned. Even with the new build-out, our 400-student campus was designed with the idea there would only be 300 students here on any given day. But, we are accustomed to making the best with what we have and we have so much more space than ever before! Since it is not yet consecrated, our chapel is temporarily serving as the students’ office for remote work. Having them here with us for their workday rather than staying home is a vast improvement because here they have reliable Wi-Fi, can eat lunch with their peers, and can access our own work-study staffers for any questions or issues that may arise when their supervisors are not available.
The classrooms are full, we are back to having lunches prepared on-site instead of bringing in pre-packaged fare. Faculty have returned to making “learning walks” with our Principal and Assistant Principal – visiting one another’s classes and sharing observations. There’s a welcome return to increased informal communication with one another in the hallways; it all seems so much more efficient… and fun. We may not see each other’s full facial expressions but at least we can look one another in the eye and see eyes smiling back. It feels like progress, like we are getting back into our proper orbit.
To give you an idea just how important it is to be back together, consider our September progress report. Each year at mid-month, we track the number of failures for all classes. We have four hundred students and each student takes seven classes. In 2019, before the pandemic hit, we had 90 failures out of a possible 2,800. In 2020, at the height of quarantine, we experienced 196 failures. This year, back to full-time school, we have 57 failures – fewer than before COVID! This speaks volumes about how much our students and teachers missed one another – everyone is working hard and the results show it. Old lyrics say, “You don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it.” I would add, “When you find it again, you value it more than ever.”
Which brings me back to the quote from Therese of Lisieux, The Little Flower. The only value a place possesses comes from what transpires between and among the people who occupy it. Cristo Rey St. Martin isn’t a building, it’s a community. What makes CRSM so special and effective is our culture. We respect and care for one another and that is expressed most fully when we are physically together. In 1 John, it is written, “No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us.” The key word is “us.” You cannot love alone; it’s a team sport. Love reaches its fullest expression in us… and “us” begins by being together. Thank you for all you do for CRSM!
by admin | Apr 1, 2020 | Alumni Spotlight
Laura (CRSM ’13, MSOE ‘21) and I first spoke while she was in the middle of her family’s move to a new residence and as she was starting her e-classes at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Like most students across the country, she is adjusting to the tectonic shifts occurring across the academic landscape. She spoke eloquently about the challenges she has faced as a Hispanic woman in a field traditionally dominated by men.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with me – these are unprecedented times for all of us. It sounds like things are going well.
You’re welcome. I’m always happy to talk about CRSM. Things are going well at MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering), and at home. There are six of us settling in at our new home.
Are there are more Pizanos in CRSM’s future?
Oh yes. I have a younger sister on the way. There have been lots of us at CRSM – brothers, sisters, cousins. Let’s see, if I count correctly we’re at about…15 or 16. Mr. Odiotti remarked that it seems like every time a Pizano graduates, another one starts.
It’s a dynasty! And, having graduated from our old building in 2013, you’ll be out with a bachelors in engineering in 2021.
Well, maybe. I’m thinking about going directly for a Masters of Engineering. That will delay things a bit.
I’d like to go back for a moment, I’m interested in your time in Waukegan, you were raised there, I assume you went to public elementary school?
I did. But in our family, it was always understood that we would go to CRSM and consider college.
Your grades were excellent at CRSM, and you were a member of the National Honor Society. Were you involved in a lot of activities outside of academics?
I was a Student Ambassador, and I really enjoyed being involved with the activities that Campus Ministry offered. I led many of the prayer services. I led several of our retreats. I worked with PADS, The Food Bank, UMMA and Feed My Starving Children. I’m proud to have been part of a group at CRSM that started UKNIGHTED. (a student run immigration reform organization). We did fundraising to fill duffel bags with the basics for detainees who were released into extreme weather with whatever they had on.
I’ve found that some CRSM graduates find the adjustment to college challenging. What was your experience like?
For me, it was not so much the academics as it was the cultural adjustment. I was used to a heavy work load at CRSM. But when I left CRSM, most of my friends were girls. I was not prepared to enter a predominantly white, male environment as a Hispanic woman. That was difficult. In one of my first architectural classes I was the only girl in a classroom of fifteen.
And one of the only Hispanic people as well. That would be really daunting. Did you find resistance because of your heritage?
Sure. Someone once asked me if Mexico had electricity. [laughing] I told them a little bit, but we mostly use fire. But seriously, I have come to the conclusion that it really is more of an experience related issue. Most of my classmates have had no multi-cultural experience.
At the risk of being a “stereotyper”, engineering students can often be quiet and reserved.
[laughing] It’s often true. My point is that they might look “stuck-up”, but they just aren’t sure what to say – just like I didn’t know how to act. It’s much easier to be comfortable around people who have had similar struggles as yourself. Maybe it’s immigration issues. Maybe it’s financial – lower income kids had an easier time reaching out to me.
But I’m lucky that way – I am outgoing, and that has really helped. I joined the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). and I’m part of the school’s Diversity Council that’s gearing up to help all of the different ethnic groups on campus.
Speaking of that, I heard you were recently out of country.
Yes, I went to Panama with MSOE. We got back on February 28th. I was with the Water Brigade. We helped install a potable water system and a septic system. This summer I’ll be interning in Chicago as a junior engineer with RTM Engineering, a mechanical contractor.
It seems to me that you are going to be a member of a relatively small club – Hispanic females with a Masters in Architectural Engineering. Can you offer any advise to other people who may be encountering “traditional” barriers?
I would say this; you absolutely have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. If a person doesn’t reach out to you, you might have to do the reaching. You might get turned down. You will get turned down. You must keep an open mind to succeed.
by admin | Feb 29, 2020 | Alumni Spotlight
I first met Daniela (CRSM ’10, St. Mary’s University ‘14) at an alumni party in downtown Chicago. She agreed to speak with me about her travels from North Chicago to Honduras to Minneapolis and back again.
Her casual demeanor and winning personality belies an intensely independent and ambitious person who has her own definition of success.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed.
I’m glad we got to meet at the alumni function. Obviously it’s going well at Piper|Sandler and you like living in the city – it’s a lot different from North Chicago, Illinois…
Different from Minnesota too – I spent time in Minneapolis after graduating from St. Mary’s University. I was working on child protection cases and studying for the LSAT. It was a one of my “trying” times, I realized that I didn’t want to be a lawyer.
But that’s good right? It’s pointless becoming something you don’t want to be.
Well yes, but I’ve never thought of myself as a quitter – so this was an uncomfortable decision. Now I know I had to do it.
I saw that you played basketball at CRSM – no quitting there. Let’s talk about your time in North Chicago and at Cristo Rey.
Sure. I did grow up in North Chicago, and I was in Honduras for a short time when I was little. There were many challenges after that. I had to go to speech classes – which kept me out of theater. That was very frustrating. Now that we’re talking about it, [laughing] The King’s Speech is my favorite movie!
Well, your diction is excellent now…problem solved!
Thanks. Unfortunately, when I was in seventh grade the family started experiencing problems. Which was very rough on me and my younger brother. It seemed like they were never going to end. As our financial situation worsened, Mom was forced to work two jobs. As a naturalized citizen from Honduras, she had a language barrier to overcome. My father was hospitalized. There were relatives facing incarceration. At one point it looked like we were going to become reliant on Catholic Charities for help.
How did you get through it all?
My mom was a big motivator for me – and the teachers and staff at CRSM. The College Counseling Department really helped me keep a positive mind while encouraging me to apply to college and look for scholarships. My CWSP internships added to my courage and supported our family’s ability to keep moving forward. There was a lot of caring and support.
Was it your mom that got you to Cristo Rey?
Absolutely. She insisted on it. She kept it simple, “Go to college and get a job in an office, start a business – or work in a factory like me…choose.”
She is a tough woman. We didn’t get along for some time. I was always questioning her. My CRSM counselor said, “one of these days you’ll find yourself having drinks with her”. I said, “NO! I will NOT be doing that.” [laughing]…now I am!
Looking back, I think the combination of my questioning everything, my curiosity and her “toughness” made me always pursue what interested me. Take the initiative. Do it for myself.
You were obviously a curious kid, and also industrious.
Before CRSM, I was taking jobs cutting the neighbors’ lawns. Witnessing the hardships that my parents went through – hearing, “no we can’t afford another pair of shoes”, was part of becoming independent and ambitious. I just recently found some letters that I had sent to my dad…they were filled with remarks about going to college, getting scholarships, about getting what I want.
You got all of those things. CRSM seems to have been a good fit for you.
Without question. My work study experiences with city hall documents at the Village of Gurnee, and payroll work at ProData Workforce Solutions were huge. I loved the extracurriculars. The College Counseling Department helped me apply and win a 1st Gen Scholarship. My classes in History, Theology, and Spanish ignited my love of anything “liberal arts” and made me think outside of the box. I was at PADS with Campus Ministry and I still have all the cards and letters from my retreats.
You’re an outgoing person, I’m always interested in the transition from CRSM to college, how’d you do?
It was challenging. Not because of leaving home, that was always the goal. It was more of the cultural shift – you know, a small town in Minnesota, so different. I volunteered with C2C (Count Down to College), they help quite a few students make what can be a difficult transition. I was committed; I was given a full ride. Ultimately, a smaller, one-on-one university environment proved to be right for me. I also passed on playing basketball to concentrate on my studies – I did DJ for a while [smiling]; not many people were listening.
You had a significant scholarship, I’m sure that made things easier.
Of course. But many people don’t realize the financial burdens that remain even with a scholarship. During the summers I worked at McDonalds and at the Naval Station, which resulted in a scholarship that helped me buy a computer for school.
After graduating from St. Mary’s with a major in History and a minor in International Studies you came back and got your job in investment banking?
No. I moved back to Chicago after college and worked in real estate for a year. I ended up going back to Minneapolis, at the time thinking I was going to law school. That’s when I changed course, met with Piper | Sandler and took the job in the equity research department here in Chicago. I love it, I even have a fabulous mentor.
Lots of twists and turns on the road to what appears to be great success.
For sure. People define success in many ways. To me, overcoming obstacles and adversity is the real definition of success. My mom landed on her feet at AbbVie , we’re proud of each other. I’m going to get my Masters. Now, when the family gets together it’s good. I wouldn’t want to go through it again…except for Cristo Rey, maybe in the new building!
