Cristo Rey’s 6th Annual Giving Day was a tremendous success! 

On September 30, 2024, the annual 1,996-minute event kicked off with much excitement and we are thrilled to announce that we have reached all our goals. More than $92,000 was raised in support of the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program! THANK YOU! 

More than 100 individuals answered the call to support our 21 students in their journey to become CNAs, with just over $92,000 raised. Our Power Hour and Finish Strong challenges were met, and our alumni participated at a high level to unlock even more match money. 

Congratulations to our raffle winners! Omar Castro ’11 won the Alumni Raffle and will receive a $50 gift card to the Cristo Rey Pro Shop, and Lorena De Santiago Gilliat is the ¡VIVA! Raffle winner for two tickets to the 2025 ¡VIVA! event. 

Thank you for supporting our Cristeros and ¡VIVA Cristo Rey! 

Learn more about the CNA Program

Update on Ariana Martinez '16

My name is Ariana, and I graduated from Cristo Rey in 2016. I attended Dominican University, where I got my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2020; I am currently pursuing my Master of Science in Nursing Education at Elmhurst University and hope to graduate in May of 2025. I currently work at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL, with a medical-surgical concentration. I have been here at MacNeal for almost three years, but I have been a nurse for nearly four years. I also have some experience in pediatrics and telemetry, but I am a board-certified medical-surgical nurse. I decided to become a nurse because I have always been interested in healthcare and providing care for someone at their most vulnerable time, and I also loved the diversity and vast options that nursing offers.

A CNA program would have helped while I was at CR because it would’ve allowed me to have more experience and know what nursing entailed. When I went to college, I was between a Nursing major and a Physical Therapy major during my first year, so I think a CNA program would have helped solidify my major right from the start. A CNA program would benefit students now because it would give them a chance to experience healthcare hands-on, and it would give them an edge in college with nursing classes because they already have hands-on experience. A lot of the material learned in nursing school is better understood when you have seen it firsthand. I am ecstatic that programs like this are being offered to students at Cristo Rey because it allows us Latinos to expand the already growing Latino nursing population, and I hope to see many new Latino nurses in the future. Viva Cristo Rey!

Meet Dr. Yerania Vences-Venegas '15

Hola a todos! I am Dr. Yerania Vences-Venegas, Cristo Rey Alumni Class of 2015.

I recently earned my doctorate in occupational therapy from West Coast University in Los Angeles, California. I am dedicating much of my time to preparing for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, a state requirement to obtain licensure. I look forward to working with children with special needs once licensed and registered as an occupational therapist in the state of Illinois.

I chose the field of occupational therapy because it is a career that can expose you to the medical field. This profession allows you to help others learn and grow, recover from injuries, and reintegrate into their communities after coping with health challenges. Occupational therapy is an incredible career that provides a unique outlook on diverse settings and populations. Participating in a CNA program can provide valuable knowledge and skills needed to confidently enter the medical field and learn more about the different disciplines and specialties. An opportunity to integrate into the world of medicine can broaden a student’s opportunity to expand on their education if desired.

Thank you for allowing me to share a glimpse of my career!