Over spring break, eight Cristo Rey seniors made a three day fly-in visit to the College of St. Benedict (CSB) and St. John’s University (SJU) in Minnesota. The cost of the trip, outside of a modest registration fee, is covered by CSB/SJU for any Cristo Rey student who is accepted at the school. On this visit, students experienced a day of academics as well a weekend of college life away from home. We currently have five CR alums attending CSB/SJU. These two top-ranked liberal arts schools together form a one-of-a-kind partnership where the women at CSB and the men at SJU dorm on separate campuses but share a co-ed experience in their academic and social lives.

A group of Cristo Rey students joined thousands of peers at the March for Our Lives rally at Union Park. Our students joined the national movement for gun reform to end to school violence. 

Blue Cross Blue Shield has been a corporate partner with the Corporate Work Study Program since 2005.  Students support a variety of functions including: Enterprise Project Management, Executive Support, Event Services, HR Services & Technology, IL Government Programs, Information Security, IT Audit & Support, Marketing, Product Solutions, Talent Development and Treasury. Currently, 11 students work across the company and are acquiring skills applicable to their personal and professional development.

Cristo Rey sophomore Martin has worked at BCBS for two years.  Martin contributes to the Enterprise Project Management Office weekly newsletter with his very own segment called the "Intern's Notebook."  Each week, Martin interviews a few of his colleagues about their role in the company, their background and their interests outside of work. 

Martin's supervisor, Eric M. Engdahl, says he created the project because, "I wanted to challenge him to meet new people and write clearly. My group is all about customer service and communication."  Since initiating the column, Martin has grown more confident in his approach to other, more complex tasks at work and the improvements in his writing are apparent week-to-week.

Student interaction with BCBS employees is a goal of Christ the King sophomore Nala's supervisor as well.  When Nala's supervisor, Latona Devers, discovered that Nala was interested in becoming a pediatrician, she connected her with a doctor on staff and Nala was able to interview the doctor about the medical profession. Nala and Martin value their opportunities to meet colleagues across the enterprise.