September 15 marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15. This is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the US and our communities. Follow along with us as we celebrate our Hispanic culture all month long at Cristo Rey!

As part of Cristo Rey’s dual language curriculum, about a third of students’ classes are taught in Spanish. Spanish teacher and Cristo Rey alum, Ms. Juarez ’17, reflected on reading Spanish literature with her classes.

"Hispanic heritage month is very important to me, but also to many students within the Cristo Rey community. What makes it more appealing is the fact that there are a variety of books written by Hispanic authors. Many of these books relate to the daily lives of students. For example, freshmans are reading Senderos Fronterizos by Fransisco Jiménez. This book is an autobiography of the author Fransisco Jiménez and his struggles as a migrant worker. Coming myself from migrant parents, I in fact can relate to this book, and I feel many students do too.

Now, moving on to the sophomores they are reading short stories from amazing authors like Julio Cortázar, Ana María Matute and Juan Rulfo. Many of these short stories are not only entertaining but also demonstrate much of the traditions and cultures that as Hispanics we celebrate.

Reading Spanish literature is important because it strengthens our ability to learn more about our culture. It is an honor to read Spanish literature at Cristo Rey with my freshman and sophomores because they get to highlight and develop the skills they have as Heritage Spanish speakers."

 - Yajayra Juárez '17

Summer Enrichment Programming prepares our students and their families for the necessity of leaving home in search of post-secondary educational opportunities, while providing enrichment opportunities to help them compete for admission and resources at more selective colleges. Cristo Rey’s College Counseling office worked with students throughout the spring to match them with summer enrichment opportunities. Students’ summer experiences ranged from programs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, to a desert studies program in Utah and an online class with Johns Hopkins. One student even travelled to Thailand!

Yara M. participated in the THEA Summer Institute at Loyola University Chicago. THEA (Theology of Healing Earth in Action) Institute classes focused on the theme of Earth's sacred water, with courses exploring scriptures, theological traditions, social justice and scholarship, with opportunities for service and field work around the city. Yara says her favorite part was “getting to know people from all over the country and having time to get to make friends."

Ashley R. spent a few weeks at Georgetown University in Washington DC in their Summer College Immersion Program (SCIP). This program is a three-week college prep program for rising high school seniors from the Cristo Rey Network and KIPP Foundation school systems and select schools, networks, and community-based organizations. Designed for high-achieving students with aspirations to apply to the most selective colleges and universities, the program provides a transformational learning experience and an introduction to college life. Students from across the country spent time engaged in a combination of class sessions, field trips, workshops and more to explore international relations, business, cybersecurity, government, STEM-related fields, liberal arts, and health studies. Ashley most enjoyed "being able to meet so many people from different parts of the country. I also really enjoyed the biology course."

Adamaris H. attended the 2022 National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) on Business Innovation - 7 days to Start-up. "My favorite part of the program would probably be meeting new people from different places. I really enjoyed how I bonded with most of my group members throughout the week we spent together. It was interesting discovering new places with new people."

Josue O. participated in Catalyst Academy in New York. "My favorite part of the Program were the sections were they introduced us to every type of engineering that they offer at Cornell University because it gave me a more clear view of which type of engineering I would like to do in college".

Anabelen H. studied at Syracuse University Summer College. She shared, "My favorite part was meeting new people and learning about social problems in the course I was taking which was sociology".

In addition to these exciting programs, 15 Cristo Rey students, along with students from Cristo Rey St. Martin in Waukegan, joined The Grand Tour with the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art for a one-day tour in July. Students learned about architecture around the city of Chicago, and presented their own ideas to professional architects. 

Photo left: Diego and Beverly with Mrs. Gilliat; Below: CR student leaders on tour at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep.


Student leaders from Cristo Rey schools came together in June for the third Cristo Rey Network Student Union for Mission Alignment (SUMA) student leadership conference. The purpose of the conference is to increase student leader voices in the future of the Cristo Rey Network, and to connect students across the Network on a different topic each year. The topic of this year’s SUMA conference focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives at Cristo Rey schools. Each network school nominated two student leaders to attend - a rising junior and rising senior. Eleven schools were represented this year. 

Through SUMA, Cristo Rey student leaders can participate in driving the continued growth and success of the Cristo Rey Network. Rising junior Beverly V. and rising senior Diego R. were nominated to represent Cristo Rey Jesuit. 

Prior to the conference, Beverly and Diego conducted research to make sure they had the tools they needed for productive and meaningful discussions. They spent time talking to different faculty, staff, and students to answer questions about ongoing DE&I issues at school. During the conference, the student leaders collectively made a presentation to the Board of the Cristo Rey Network from their discussions. 

Rising junior Beverly shared, “I think SUMA was a good experience for all of us. It was amazing to see how we would all bond over the places we lived in and over the differences between schools. I was really happy to be able to share the joy and the beauty of being a Cristo Rey community, and I hope that the change we discuss will be the change our future Cristo Rey students enjoy.” 

It was not all work for the student leaders at the conference. In addition to meeting new friends from other Cristo Rey schools, the group toured Cristo Rey Jesuit, as well as Christ the King Jesuit College Prep in Chicago and Cristo Rey St. Martin in Waukegan, and had a great time together on an outing to Navy Pier.

"SUMA was a great experience, it allowed me to meet other student leaders from Cristo Rey schools all over the country,” rising senior Diego said. "We discussed the initiatives that our schools have regarding DE&I. I met lots of cool people and thanks to this conference me and my peers were able to come up with new ideas for our school. I am glad the Cristo Rey Network offers these opportunities to students.”