“I Was Mad at the World, That’s How I Got to CRSM”: An Interview with José Elizondo

“I Was Mad at the World, That’s How I Got to CRSM”: An Interview with José Elizondo

José (CRSM ’16, Marquette ’20) spoke with me on the phone from his room on the campus of Marquette University.

His story is one of contrasts – a small town in Texas to a busy suburb in Illinois, from a high school with 2000 students to 400 at Cristo Rey. As one of only a handful of CRSM graduates to enroll as a senior, he thinks of Cristo Rey fondly as “a place of amazing opportunities”.

The following conversation has been edited and condensed.

You arrived at CRSM as a senior from Eagle Pass, Texas. I looked it up – population 29,487. It was the 1st American settlement on the Rio Grande.  How did you end up in Waukegan, Illinois?

Yep, Eagle Pass. I finished my Junior year at the public high school. My family’s retail furniture business had failed; there was no way to compete with the arrival of the big box stores. By the time I was twelve years old, our family was in serious turmoil. My father landed in Waukegan to find work in construction. My mother struggled, self-employed, finding work anywhere she could.

So, you and your mom spent a few tough years in Texas.

It wasn’t just me; I have two older sisters. And it was more than a few years. It was difficult being “the man of the house” – the only athlete with one parent cheering for you in the stands. You have to grow up quickly. We were in government housing from middle school to my freshman year. It would have been easy to fall into bad things in that environment.

You’re in a huge high school in Texas, the family is in financial trouble, what happened?

There were two pivotal moments in my life, one of them was while I was in that high school. There were 800 students in my sophomore class. One day, I was handed my class rank … #87. I hated that. So I quit basketball and track, got a tutor, and ended the year at #12.

What was the other pivotal moment?

It happened when I was 12. My father was in Illinois. We were barely making ends meet, pretty much destitute. One night, my mom comes home after working at a restaurant ’til 3am. I was looking at her face and I asked her what was wrong. She said she was so tired.  She was keeping us afloat with multiple jobs, with three kids. I’m thinking, this is not normal. This should not be happening. We’re in the United States, the greatest country in the world. There is opportunity for everybody, do something. I was really emotional – very upset.

I can see why. Most people would have been angry.

Oh, I was angry. There was this burning anger in me. I was throwing things; shoes, books, worst of all…our XBOX! [laughing] I wasn’t angry at anybody in particular. I was mad at the world. But it pushed me. I remember thinking, “I’m a guy, there’s a way out of this. I have a responsibility to do something.”  Right there I decided that I was going to college and become the best person I could be. I didn’t even know what that would look like, but I was going to help my mother and sisters. I never looked back.

Most people would have finished their senior year in Texas. Why change so late in the game?

I was going to be the first in my family to go to college. Down there anyone that was going to college was headed to UT Texas or Texas A&M.  I needed a change, and I loved what was going on in Chicago. My father was here, so having promised my mother I would go to the best high school in the area – Cristo Rey kept coming up in Google. It was an uphill climb getting into CRSM as a senior, but my persistence paid off and they gave me a shot.

The change must have been difficult – moving from a large public school to a small, Catholic school with a work study requirement… 

Actually, I found the whole thing exhilarating. I made lots of friends. When I arrived at CRSM, all I could see were opportunities; it was like heaven to me. I did everything. I loved the executive atmosphere at Abbvie; I looked forward to going to work. The service opportunities were awesome – there was no such thing at Eagle Pass. Even the difficulties of the college admissions process were made easier. CRSM cared, always asking if you’re ok. Nobody really cares about you in public school.

Did your transition from CRSM to college go the same way?

It was a little tougher. Cristo Rey’s role was critical. Marquette University offered me quite a bit of scholarship money. And I received a Greenhouse ScholarshipBut most amazingly, when I was a student ambassador, I was asked to speak at a corporate sponsor event. I was approached by a gentleman who said he had close ties with Marquette University, which ultimately landed me a summer internship before school started, and a part time job in a real estate development firm in Milwaukee. I stayed with that firm for almost 2 years.

And that’s how you will end up graduating from Marquette’s well respected Real Estate Program.

Actually I’m not going to get my degree from the Center for Real Estate. Because I was lucky enough to work with successful real estate development and brokerage firms for the last 3 1/2 years, it became repetitive to stay in that department, so I will graduate with a major in Economics.

Graduating in May, congratulations. What’s next?

That is the question of the century! My parents are asking me that every day. [smiling] I’m not completely decided yet. I started my firm, Zondo Properties, seven months ago, and it’s doing well – and I have several job offers. I have a little bit of time to decide.

Before we sign-off, is there anything I should have asked you that I missed?

Not really, you covered a lot. I would say hi to everyone at CRSM; and thank you for what you do.

“The Genuine Article – Something Greater Than Just Me”: An Interview with Angel Gomez

“The Genuine Article – Something Greater Than Just Me”: An Interview with Angel Gomez

I had lunch with Angel (CRSM ’14, Dominican University ’18) down the street from where he works as an Executive Team Assistant to the Deputy Superintendent of Waukegan Public Schools. His journey with his family from Laredo, Texas to Zion to Waukegan was interesting, but the telling of his personal journey made me realize that he’s the genuine articleThe following conversation has been edited and condensed.

It’s great to finally catch up. Barely a year ago you were the Assistant Dean at Miguel Juarez Middle School. Congratulations on your new position.
Thanks, working at Waukegan Public Schools is very exciting.

You said most of your family is still in Laredo, but essentially, you’re a Zion and Waukegan guy?
Exactly. I don’t remember much about Laredo, but I remember being way ahead in my classwork when I came to Waukegan from Zion. My parents are very discerning about education. My mother was in a gifted program in high school and my dad is a trained HVAC pro. When I was headed into high school, they refused to make any compromises with my education, so CRSM was the first and only choice.

So you jumped right in at CRSM…
(laughing) Well, it wasn’t quite that simple. As a freshman I was a very shy kid, so I did a lot of watching and listening. I worked for Acco Brands and Abbott while I was at CRSM – my jobs went great for all four years. I was really into tackle football – but there was no program, so I ended up getting into basketball and eventually became co-captain. I started to come out of my shell. I ran for VP of the NHS. I joined the Schuler Program – which played a huge role in my development. I became a Student Ambassador. I ran for Student Council.

Your grades were very good, you were heavily involved in sports and extra-curriculars, you caddied in the summer, you performed well with excellent companies in Corporate Work Study and it says here you did your share of service projects; Pads, a day care center and Feed My Starving Children. Was there anything you didn’t do while you were at CRSM?
Yes. I didn’t pay attention to who I was. I came out of my shell trying to maintain an image – to be popular and cool. I was popular alright, but when my family hit a rough spot and my godfather passed away, I made the mistake of leaving the Schuler Scholar Program. And though I continued with my extra-curricular activities and always maintained a 3.0 average, I headed off to college without knowing who the heck I was, or what was really important.

I’m sure Dominican University was a good place for you to buckle down and get your feet under you.
You would think. (laughing) It is a great school, and I’m really glad I went. My freshman year did not go well. And not long after that, I found myself on academic probation. And that’s when I realized, this is not me…this is not what my late godfather had in mind with his high expectations of me. I realized that there is something greater than just me; and spending time focusing on an image was not only selfish, it actually kept me from becoming the genuine me.

And the aftermath of all that?
I stopped trying to be “something”. I found out people like genuine. I focused on my family. I hit the books. I finished college on the Dean’s List with six A’s in my last semester. I have quite a few people to thank for where I am right now. My Mom and Dad, my godfather, CRSM, Schuler, the people at Waukegan School District…it’s a long list.

I often ask people I’ve interviewed if they could give any advice to CRSM students, but I think you just did.

“Cristo Rey Didn’t Change Me – It Changed Everything”: An Interview with Oscar Gonzalez

“Cristo Rey Didn’t Change Me – It Changed Everything”: An Interview with Oscar Gonzalez

I caught up with Oscar (CRSM ’17, College of the Holy Cross ’21) while he was in New York City. He was good enough to take a time out for us during his semester internship with the Clinton Foundation. We spoke about his time at CRSM, tapping into the Cristo Rey Network and the transformative effect that CRSM had on his whole family. The following conversation has been edited and condensed.

Thanks for taking the time today. We saw each other briefly at the reunion at CRSM. I didn’t know at the time that you were headed to NYC.

No problem, I love talking about Cristo Rey. The last time I was back to the new campus was winter break. It’s been really busy ever since I accepted the internship with the Clinton Foundation.

I’d like to talk more about the internship, but I’m also interested in talking about the things that led up to that success. Was it always obvious that you were going to CRSM?

 It was to my Mom (laughs). I was in public school and I was captain of my soccer team, I wanted to go to school with my friends. My mother did not want me to go to public high school. My aunt went to Cristo Rey and my mother insisted that I go to CRSM. I was very lucky. That turned out to be a very important decision for the whole family.

And it looks like it went really well, you graduated with a 3.7 grade point average.

There were some rocky times. As I began my freshman year, my family went through some tough changes. As I and my 3 sibs worked through those changes, it also became clear that middle school had not prepared me well. So if I wanted to accomplish something “major”, I had better step up my game. After many nights with 2- 3 hours of sleep and a commitment to the Schuler Scholar Program, my academic performance got up to speed.

It sounds like diligence and grit carried the day. You used the term “something major”, where did that come from?

 My grandfather and I talk almost every day. He is a very disciplined man and always had high expectations of me. He used that term quite a bit. And now that you and I are talking about this, I would say my dad is a really a hard worker, my grandfather is very disciplined, and my mom is very bright. I like to think I got a few brains from her as well!

It sure sounds like that happened; a Schuler Scholar, a high GPA, acceptance into the College of The Holy Cross

It wasn’t quite that simple. I ended up leaving the Schuler program for senior year, which was not a positive thing. I became worried about working on my own on the college search and acceptance process. But I got lucky again. The Counseling Department, especially Ms. Kainic, were all there for me. Many, many extra, hours were given to me. If it weren’t for those efforts, I would not be at Holy Cross. I saw thirteen colleges, but I was encouraged to participate in a “fly-in” to Holy Cross and I fell in love with the school.

So the fly-in visit made your decision easy and you were accepted. In terms of academics, how is the transition from high school to college going?

 It’s going very well. I changed my major from Pre-Med to Business & Psychology. As a result, purely by coincidence, I met a mentor/alum who was connected to Cristo Rey. That’s how I found out about COHC’s internship in New York with Clinton Global Initiative University. They mentor and provide seed funding to student innovators from many different campuses.

Congratulations. It sounds like a fabulous opportunity. I know your work-study experiences with Gewalt Hamilton Associates and Discover Financial were very successful as well. Did those experiences change you?

 Completely. In fact, I still work for Discover when I’m home from school. This is what we talked about earlier; if I hadn’t gone to CRSM, I don’t know where my life would have gone. It is the single most important event of my life. It didn’t just change me, it changed everything – my acceptance into college, the ability to earn money during school, the way I interact with people in business, even the way I dress. It changed my family. I wouldn’t be as close to my parents as I am now. And I wouldn’t have become a role model for my younger brothers and sister.

We’re almost out of time – with a 35 page paper in the works, I know your free time is at a premium. How do you use the little that you have?

Well, because of my love of soccer I enjoy training and playing club. I’ve been able to get to some of the museums here in the city with the other foundation winners. I’m also having fun working on my public speaking skills.

Thanks for taking the time. Anything that I forgot to ask you?

 When I start making some money, I want to go to Barcelona. And when I do start earning, I plan on contributing to Cristo Rey St. Martin.

 

“To embrace accountability and responsibility”: An Interview with Liz Martinez

“To embrace accountability and responsibility”: An Interview with Liz Martinez

I met with Liz Martinez (CRSM ’12, Lake Forest College ’16) during her first visit to the new campus on Belvidere Road. Our conversation covered a lot of territory; from her extracurriculars at CRSM, through a family health crisis, to her successes at First Midwest Bank.

The following conversation has been edited and condensed.

 

First of all, thanks for taking the time to speak with me. It was great walking through the new campus with you.
Thanks, I love the new facility. The natural light is wonderful, what a change from the old campus!

You’ve also experienced some big changes here in Waukegan.
That is really true. Moving from Lakeshore Catholic to public school took some adjustment – but attending Cristo Rey College Prep signaled the beginning of real change.

Let’s talk more about that, but I’m also interested in why you decided to attend CRSM.
My brother and I (Oscar Martinez CRSM ’11) met with Cristo Rey St. Martin when they visited our middle school. My parents always wanted us to go to college, and they love what CRSM stands for. We are a working class family; Dad works in the construction business and Mom works as a housekeeper. Our family hadn’t saved any money for college because we just didn’t know that college was an option – until Cristo Rey.

How did CRSM impact you and your family?
As a Cristo Rey Family, we began talking about college and how we could go about it. Is it expensive? What do we need? Things like FAFSA, the actual applications, essays and recommendations were completely new to us. We had no clue on how to proceed with any of it. At CRSM, there was always conversation about what was needed. Workshops were always happening. It was an eye-opening experience. Even the terminology was difficult for us – what does gross income mean? It didn’t take long for us to adjust.

The financial issues associated with college are so significant. Can you talk a little about the the academic side?
Sure. Going to school four days a week instead of five and waking up extra early for work study, all while taking a challenging course load, took some getting used to. I wanted to be involved in extracurricular activities as well, so I was forced to become very organized. I learned how to prioritize – to embrace accountability and responsibility.

It appears that you were successful at that. Good grades, a trip to the volleyball finals – with time left over for Campus Ministry. How did work study go for you?
It was quite an experience. I found myself working in the State’s Attorneys office in Waukegan as a 14 year old. Working in that environment required me to develop my people skills very quickly. In my sophomore year I worked at the Boys & Girls Club. They were very supportive and offered me a summer job. In my junior and senior years I worked as a teller for First Midwest Bank, where I now work as a personal banker.

You graduated from Lake Forest College with a double major, Communications and Spanish. Was that always your plan?
No. I started in International Business at Marquette University. At the time of my transfer to Lake Forest College, my mother became very ill. My father was working day and night, my little sister was in middle school and my brother was in Milwaukee, so it fell to me to take care of my mom. I would go to school in the morning, pick up my sister from school in the afternoon, take care of my Mom and then work a night shift as a waitress in the evening.

My grades began to suffer and I was on the verge of quitting, but my parents insisted that I finish. Luckily, I had significant Spanish and AP credits, so without too much catching up I was able to graduate with a double major in Spanish and Communications.

I’m not sure how you were able to handle that for a year and a half.
My parents had a lot to do with it.  Their attitude was, you made it this far – why are you going to stop? In the end, things have turned out great. My mother got better. My brother and sister are doing well and I found out how much I enjoy working in the banking industry.

Any new and exciting plans you care to divulge?
I’ve been working with Waukegan To College (W2C) for quite awhile now. I’m impressed with the work they’re doing. I’ve just joined their alumni board. Regarding my work, I’m looking at a number of different areas at my company; and a master’s degree may be in my future.

“Don’t Give Up; You’ll Get There”: An Interview with Jessica Borjon

“Don’t Give Up; You’ll Get There”: An Interview with Jessica Borjon

I spoke with Jessica (CRSM ’07, Loyola University ’14) about her extended stays in the hospital during the school year, her experiences in the workplace and her quest to find passion for a career.

The following conversation has been edited and condensed.

First of all, thanks for taking the time for us. I know your job in human resources at the City of Waukegan keeps you really busy.

Busier than ever! I just received a promotion to HR Manager. But I will always have time for Cristo Rey; they played an important role in my life. I’m proud to say I was one of the thirteen in the first graduating class of CRSM.

Congratulations on your promotion! What made you decide to apply to the “new” CRSM in 2007?

My twin sister met someone from CRSM at a job fair and made it clear to me that Cristo Rey was the future. I jumped in as a sophomore and loved every minute of it.

You said you enjoyed school, but health issues made school more difficult than it should have been. Can you talk about that?

Sure. I was very sick when I was younger. It was a serious childhood illness and it took quite a while to get it under control. It landed me in the hospital for weeks at a time – but my sister helped, bringing my assignments to me, so I could keep up with school work.

It’s so impressive that you were able do well in spite of that challenge, how did your Work Study experiences go?

I loved my all my Work Study jobs – in payroll, in accounting and in human resources. My mother works for the Waukegan Police Department, so I was able to take summer jobs working for the city. I learned early how life-changing it is when an adult, in the workplace, appreciates you for a job well done. Your confidence soars.  The truth is that both my parents and Cristo Rey enabled me to do well at work.

Were your parents just as supportive around your goals for college?

They were great. I didn’t graduate from Loyola University until 2014. I was working and going to school, trying different majors to find something I loved: Pre-Med, Accounting and Accounting & Finance. It wasn’t until I worked with the YWCA of Lake County, training CRSM students, that I realized how much I enjoyed helping people and how much I love working in HR.

And congrats again, a degree from Loyola University and a recent promotion. Do you have any advice for our student readers?

Well, in light of my experiences with graduation delays, with waiting for promotions and the time it took to find a field I could be passionate about, I’d say: be patient. Don’t give up; you’ll get there.