by Mary Beth Sammons | Nov 21, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
Daughter of a barber and medical assistant, middle child of three, and first-generation lawyer– Cheyanne Williams has always been inspired by the legal system. She was in grade school when she binge-watched TV crime shows and set her intention to become a lawyer.
The CRSM Class of ‘15 graduate’s commitment and determination never wavered. Consider her checklist of achievements: She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University in in 2019 where she was a Cristo Rey Scholar, Achieving College Excellence scholar, a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society at Loyola and maintained a 3.5 GPA where she was a member of the Dean’s list. Last May she graduated from Georgetown’s law school. There she was the Staff Editor at Georgetown’s Journal of Law and Modern Critical Race Perspectives, Assistant, and Peer Mentor. During her summers while in law school she was a summer associate at Baker McKenzie (2020 and 2021) and King and Spalding (2021). After graduating from Georgetown’s law school, she spent the summer preparing for the July 2022 Illinois bar exam, which she passed and was recently sworn into the Illinois Bar. Recently she was named to the CRSM Board of Trustees. This fall she became an associate at King and Spalding.
Always drawn toward her goals, Cheyanne says she’s clung on to the CRSM mantra “to get to and through college,” expanding it to include any challenges she faced. “When I think about what I am doing in life, I first ask myself ‘what are my goals and what are the steps I need to take to achieve them?”
As a CRSM student, Cheyanne was a regular volunteer at PADS Homeless Shelter and the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Feed My Starving Children. Her work-study program at United Way of Lake County also was centered in advocacy.
Interspersed in her academic achievements, Cheyanne has seized all opportunities to explore international culture. At Loyola she studied abroad in Rome and has globe trotted to Kenya, Paris, London, Switzerland, Morocco, Spain, Bali and Brazil.
Her advice to CRSM students, “Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you and seek out the opportunities that are not necessarily presented to you – you never know where they can lead you.”
by Mary Beth Sammons | Oct 27, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
During the last year and a half, Atzallali Saucedo-Ruiz graduated from Skidmore College, launched her marketing career at an international British-based firm, and moved into her first apartment.
“It was time for me to fly,” says the Class of ’17 CRSM grad and Schuler Scholar, who works in digital marketing at Renishaw Inc. in West Dundee. “It’s been a long, long road and a tough one, but now I’m doing what I love. I also got my own place now, which means I’m independent from my parents.”
Born in Mexico, Atzallali moved to the U.S with her parents when she was six. Though she said the language barrier was “very challenging at first,” she grew to be a bright student at Our Lady of Humility in Beach Park. She was initially on planning to apply to Carmel High School until she discovered CRSM, with the help of her teacher Mrs. Thomas, “and that changed my whole life,” she says.
“At CRSM I had the best teachers and guides like Ms. Bonnerjee, my physics teacher, who really pushed me to be better, and the Dippolds (Christina, CRSM counselor and Jim, Director of Campus Ministry) who modeled compassion for others and helped me learn to take care of my own mental health,” says Atzallali. In college, she thought she was headed for a career in the sciences, until she discovered marketing through her work-study internship at United Way of Lake County.
“I fell in love with storytelling and was intrigued by how people can be affected in a positive way with healthy messaging.” says Atzallali. “I realized how stories can shape the world around us. So, it’s important we are all mindful about what stories we allow to influence our views.”
Lesson to CRSM students: “This is the advice I would have given to a younger me: Don’t be scared to try new things, even things you don’t think you may particularly enjoy. You have time to find yourself, and the time is now, so go for it. Also, if you hit a rough patch, don’t be afraid to reach out for help and support. There are people around you who will be there for you.”
by admin | Jul 7, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
Since her freshman year at Cristo Rey St. Martin 16 years ago, Esmeralda “Esme” Silva has been determined to be of service to others. Dedicated to paying her life forward and amplify the voices of victims of violence, the 30-year-old works to end human trafficking in several Wisconsin counties. A Class of ’10 grad, she also is the first CRSM alumna to be named to the Board of Trustees.
“I am extremely honored to be seated at the table with leaders who will make such a difference in the lives of students like I once was,” says Esme, a community resource specialist for Children’s Hospital in Wisconsin. “As a student, I didn’t really realize that there was such a dedicated group of people who cared so deeply about us and worked so hard to make the school successful.”
She says her compassion and passion for helping others was born in the hallways of CRSM, where she was the first person in her family to attend high school: “I learned to become dedicated, goal orientated and have a positive work ethic. Now, I feel my life is coming full-circle. I have a rewarding career that lets me help others, but now I get to really make a difference in the lives of students who remind me of where I came from. I hope to inspire where they can go.“
Esme’s career path has melded her interests in criminal justice and social services. Her experience includes working in victim advocacy, domestic violence, sexual assault services, and child abuse and neglect. She’s determined to grow as an advocate for victims in the legal, public policy and government systems.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in 2014 and a master’s degree from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2017. Prior to the Children’s Hospital, Esme was a crisis counselor for A Safe Place in Zion.
Esme is married to her CRSM high school sweetheart, Jose Nunez, Class of ’11.
“Our foundation and the values and friendships we made at Cristo Rey helped form both of our passion to give back to the community,” says Esme.
by admin | Mar 30, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
Like many visionaries, Kala Juett has grand ambitions, which fall nothing short of becoming a prominent storyteller in the film and movie industry. She hopes to shift the culture to more of a focus on social change and give voice to those whose stories have been silenced.
Last year, when the CRSM Class of ’16 alumna graduated with a BA in Visual and Media Studies from Duke University, she reached a critical milestone to realizing those ambitions. This year and next, she’s working as a Catalyst Fellow at the Durham, North Carolina University. In that role, she helps Duke students on their path to becoming Duke alumni, creating self-aware, resource-heavy foundations now for the easiest transition to post-graduation.
“The most important lesson I have learned is to be intentional, to ask for the help you might need,” she says. “Coming to Duke was a whole new world for me, but you never have to feel like you are alone. There are people to help you and that is what I am doing right now, helping students gain confidence, connect with others who can mentor them and tap into their unique strengths.”
Next stop: She’s focused on a dual MBA and MFA and is currently applying to schools across the country from New York City to Los Angeles.
“My long-term goal is to be a film or movie producer telling the stories of people who aren’t able to tell their own stories,” says Juett, 23. “I want to showcase stories that capture what is really going on in society, not ROM-COMS or fairy tales, but more documentary, real-life stories.”
At Duke, Juett was a member of the elite Alice M. Baldwin Scholars, a four-year women’s leadership program. Eighteen incoming freshmen are selected each year and scholars are expected to positively influence the culture for undergraduate women at Duke, offering new ideas about how to measure academic and social success.
During her four years of college, Juett also served as the president of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, was a member of the First-year Advisory Council Board, and a 2018 Common Ground Co-Director, an organization where members reimagine what an equitable and just campus could look like for all Duke students.
The oldest of what she describes “three Army brats,” Juett lived in Round Lake Beach during her high school years at CRSM.
A Schuler Scholar at CRSM, Juett also was active in Lady Knights Soccer, Lady Knights Basketball, Freshman Student Council, Junior Student Council, Executive Council and the National Honors Society. Readers may remember her as one of two featured students in a CRSM video, “A Day in the Life,” which won a Mid-West Emmy in 2016.
At CRSM, she says she learned “a lot about being persistent, a lot about having the grit to carry on.” “I learned it is up to each of us to create our own legacy and to find a way through [our legacies] to give back.”
