At Cristo Rey Research Triangle High School, students go to work each week

The private school opened in 2021 at 334 Blackwell St., in the heart of the American Tobacco Campus. Cristo Rey is Catholic-based but serves students of all faiths. It's also diverse, with a 70% Hispanic and 30% Latinx student population at the Durham campus, one of 39 Cristo Rey schools across the country.

This year, 140 students are enrolled at Cristo Rey's Triangle campus. Students only attend classes on site four days each week, spending an entire day working an entry-level position at a local company, which partners with Cristo Rey to pay part of the student's tuition.

Some corporate partners include Cisco, Wolfspeed, North Carolina State University, James Scott Farrin, Lenovo, Microsoft and others, all which pay 50% of a student's tuition in exchange for the work they provide.

Right now, 12 students are working remotely for Cisco. Other students travel to a corporate office weekly to work alongside professionals, organizing spreadsheets and databases, coding, managing the front desk, assisting with marketing campaigns and more. Since Cristo Rey is such a diverse campus, many students are also able to help with translating and interpreting in the workplace.

Other students get to work in elementary schools, helping in classrooms and in the front office. Some work for nonprofits like the Diaper Bank of North Carolina and Bridge II Sports, which creates opportunities for youth, adults and veterans with physical disabilities.

"If a student really likes math, we will get them into an accounting firm. If they are an extrovert, we try to place them in a company where they will get to work with people," said Jeb Myers, president.

Working for local companies helps students gauge their interest in professional careers, learning what they want -- and don't want -- from their future jobs.

"At 14, they don't necessarily know what want, so we provide them that exploration," Myers explained. "We've had just as many students working at a law firm say, 'I want to be a lawyer,' as students who've said 'I don't want to be a lawyer.'"

Students generally stay with the same company all four years of high school so they can take on more advanced roles. Since most companies have legal, finance, HR and marketing departments, students can explore many different avenues at one company.

Emmanuel Johnson, a 10th grader, wants to be an economist. He spends one day per week at accounting firm Ernst & Young, where he manages tables and databases and creates PowerPoint presentations for the company.

"I really like how Cristo Rey provides an opportunity for young people to know people in corporate areas and to have connections at an early age so when they do graduate they won't be out of a job," Johnson said.

Cristo Rey currently partners with a total of 37 companies and is looking to expand. Students have support from their employers and from counselors at Cristo Rey who prepare them for college and careers.

"They're doing real work ... and we want to support them through it," said Myers. "We believe everyone has the talent. Our students don't necessarily come from families that live in and around business professionals, so this gives [students] the opportunity to see that they can do it or so they can see themselves in that company in the future."

The average Cristo Rey family of four makes an average of only $30,000 per year. Tuition is $70 each month, but much of that cost is absorbed by the companies Cristo Rey has partnered with to introduce students to professional careers before they head to college.

Other students have their tuition fully covered by the North Carolina Opportunity scholarship, which supports students transitioning from public to private schools.

English is not a first language for many Cristo Rey parents or students, so teachers and administrators are bilingual and ready to serve all families who walk in the door, even walking them step-by-step through the online application process, which is available in English and Spanish.

Parents, grandparents and siblings are also welcomed to Cristo Rey's campus monthly for cultural events and celebrations, which often include food. Cristo Rey just wrapped up celebrating Black History Month in February.

"We have a big, welcoming culture in this school," explained Martha Zaldivar, Cristo Rey's recruitment and admissions director. "We're a brand new school so we have new traditions; we try different ways to make it a welcoming environment not just for the students but for the parents as well."

Just like at public high schools, Cristo Rey has sports teams, a newsletter club, dances and a student government body. The school is currently planning its first prom. Breakfast, lunch and transportation are all provided at no additional cost to students.

Students have access to tutors, many who are retired professionals, and career and guidance counselors along with other mentors to help them succeed.

Class sizes are, on average, about 20 students.

"I like the fact that it's small and the relationships you can have with your teachers," said Amy Vasquez-Roblero, a 10th grade student who spends each Tuesday working at health-focused research center Bioventus, where she serves the marketing team.

Roger Reed, Cristo Rey's director of corporate work study, gets regular feedback from his students' employers, including Vasquez-Roblero's supervisor at Bioventus.

Reed recently learned that Vasquez-Roblero spoke up in a staff meeting, presenting an idea to help with a project. The company ended up using her idea.

"Almost daily I get feedback saying she's exceeding expectations," Reed said.

Cristo Rey students are as young as 14 when they begin working with adults in professional settings, so teachers provide them with needed skills, like how to keep eye contact, shake hands, network and write a professional email.

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School guidance counselor Alexa Ali said her connection with students is much more close-knit due to the small community.

"It's rewarding because you get to see their growth year after year," Ali said. "You're right there when they graduate and go on to college."

The support at Cristo Rey doesn't end at the high school level. School counselors and university partners will also support students once they head to college.

Cristo Rey has partnered with 72 universities, all which have a high graduation rate for the demographic Cristo Rey serves. To support families, these colleges and universities support a minimum of 85% of a student's total cost toward college through a mixture of scholarships, grants and loans. That includes not just tuition but lodging, school supplies, travel to and from campus and other costs.

According to Myers, most Cristo Rey schools have a 100% college acceptance rate, and 90% of Cristo Rey students are the first in their family to go to college. More than half are the first to graduate from high school.

"Our goal for them is not just to get to college but to get through college," Myers said.