by Mary Beth Sammons | Apr 20, 2023 | CWSP
For 30 years, Mari-Lou Menezes worked with client companies to develop and implement strategic plans to support their working capital needs and growth including their access to capital markets. As an executive director for JPMorgan Chase & Co. in downtown Chicago, her end goal was to drive sales growth and produce successful outcomes for her clients.
These days, the retired Northbrook resident spends two days a week hunkered down over her computer in a cubicle in the CRSM Corporate Work Study Department. There, she helps grade and coach students on their writing styles for their work-study time card reports. Some days Mari-Lou also mentors students who are either struggling at their current job or who have been removed from their work-study assignment. She and a team of CWSP coaches use the book Seven Habits of Highly Successful Teens as an outline for these talks.
“I see my role as helping students turn their dreams into reality,” says Mari-Lou. She has been volunteering for CRSM for the last two years. Mari-Lou is one of four CWSP members of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) Chicago, who volunteer for the work-study program. IVC is an American-Catholic volunteer service which matches volunteers with charities and nonprofits.
“Mari-Lou is very good at encouraging and working with our students,” says Brian Weinberg, Director of the Corporate Work-Study Program.
A native of India, Mari-Lou spent her early career years teaching English in her native country. When she moved to the United States as a young adult, she pursued advanced studies and graduated from DePaul University’s Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.
“Mari-Lou brings a unique cultural experience for our students, showing them how she created her own success journey, and they can relate because she too is a person of color,” says Brian. “She’s very good in establishing strong one-on-one relationships with them.”
Mari-Lou says: “I am continually amazed and inspired by how much the students have on their plates to juggle. It seems overwhelming, yet they push through and work hard to achieve. I am honored and grateful to work alongside them.”
CRSM is blessed and truly grateful for volunteers such as Mari-Lou, who give of their time and expertise, and make a significant contribution to our students’ success!
by Mary Beth Sammons | Dec 20, 2022 | School News
During this holiday season, we want to shine the spotlight on the “Angels Among Us” doing extraordinary work to advance our mission day in and day out throughout the year. We’ve been thinking about what inspires them to donate their time and money and passions to Cristo Rey St. Martin at a time when our students and their families — along with the world — need our help more than ever. We feel it is very important to point out that we are featuring only SOME of the many, many standout volunteers in this issue. We are very grateful to so many people who give generously of their time and talents providing support for CRSM in everything, from helping to write resumes, training and accompanying our freshman to their first day at work, and others who share their expertise at our career exploration days. We will be launching a monthly spotlight to feature all our volunteers in depth. Stay tuned in future months for more angels among us.
Meet Our Campus Ministry Volunteers who Help Feed and Nourish the Spirits of Our Neighbors in Need
Once a month, for the last two years, the CRSM community has manned the parking lot to help distribute food to area residents in need through the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Popup food bank. Taking a lead directing traffic are Mary and Kathleen Popit, and working alongside her son is CRSM mom Anaid Hernandez. Hunger relief is just part of what our volunteers do — because “food is the foundation of kindness and compassion for our neighbors,” says Mary Popit. “These volunteers embody and live a core part of our mission to be people for others,” said Jim Dippold, Director of Campus Ministry. “They are helping to feed more than 600 families a month. This would not be possible without their help and dedication.”
Meet Erin Foley, Joanne Eenigenburg, Cindy Rourke and Ann Kendall our event planning gurus
From creating the theme, the decor, inviting their friends and family and providing overall direction for our two major fundraisers — elevate and Founder’s Dinner — this team of volunteers works tirelessly to pull off these mega fundraising events which financially support tuition and programs for our students, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a college prep education. “We couldn’t put these events on without this committee,” says Candice Tonon, Director of Development or Wendy Feldhaus, Assistant Development Director. “They are a very special community of supporters.”
Volunteers Gear Students Up for Corporate World
Meet the Corporate Work Study Program mentors, Ignatian Volunteer Corps team: Keith Schoeneberger, a retired attorney, Susan Carsello, a wealth management advisor, Kate Kniest, a retired college nursing professor and Mari-Lou Menezes, a financial services executive and business development strategist with JP Morgan Chase. Phil Balog, a retired accountant from Waukegan, has been volunteering for more than a decade. From scouring through student’s on-the-job work study reports, to coaching and mentoring students who are facing challenges at work these IVC Chicago volunteers “are hugely important in helping student develop workplace skills and giving them after work support,” says Brian Weinberg, Director of the Corporate Work-Study Program.
Teaching Writing and Academic Skills
With a culture that immerses students in becoming college and career ready, helping students achieve academic excellence is vital to our mission. That’s why CRSM is grateful to the volunteers who share their expertise with students in the academic arena. In the college counseling department, Gretchen Cooper Athas, a Career Management and Admissions Coach and Jeanie Sullivan, work with seniors on their personal statements, resumes and college applications. .”We couldn’t do it without them,” says Sharon Holdvogt, college counselor. “They are incredible with working with our students to encourage them to elaborate in their writing while also allowing the student to maintain their voice and style. John Simons, a retired Abbott scientist, with a PhD from MIT and MBA from Northwestern and an Ignatian volunteer, offers academic counseling twice a week through the CRSM Academic Assistance Program (AAP). “I was lucky to retire early and wanted to do something that really makes a difference in these student’s lives,” says John. “Now I can finally put my ‘over educated’ self to use and make a true impact.”
by admin | Aug 22, 2022 | CWSP
Modeling CRSM’s strategic plan to “Survive, Revive and Thrive,” the CRSM Corporate Work Study Program hit the ground running this school year. Almost all the 407 students with business and nonprofit partners. Freshmen spent the last week boarding vans to banks, community organizations, financial and business service firms, hospitals, medical offices and dozens of organizations throughout the Chicago area and Wisconsin.
This year, students will travel in vans with student workers headed west to Antioch and down to Rosemont, south as far as the city of Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, throughout Lake County and north to Kenosha and Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
“We already have two percent more paying jobs at this point than we had the last school year and expect to jump to 10 percent by the end of September,” says Brian Weinberg, Director of the Corporate Work Student Program. “Our biggest accomplishment is that 404 of our 407 students have job assignments.”
The roster of business partners includes some exciting return companies (who had put jobs on hold during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic) such as: W.W. Grainger and Woodland Foods and new partners, including: Milwaukee Avenue Eye Center, Kohl’s Children’s Museum, Twain School, Beacon Place, Gigi’s Playhouse, Waukegan Housing Authority and Bluff History Museum.
While the back-to-work rush is on, the hard work of the department was unwavering throughout the summer.
Dozens of organizations’ leaders attended a “Business Partner Kickoff” Aug. 10 and area business partner volunteers and the CWSP staff spent four weeks prepping freshman to enter the workplace.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the CWSP program never stops adapting and innovating to meet the needs of partners and prepare students to be flexible, agile, and technologically savvy,” says Weinberg. “And the program will continue to adapt to meet the needs of the changing workplace.”
Contact Brian Weinberg if your company needs reliable remote workers at: (224) 587-7337 or brianweinberg@cristoreystmartin.org.
by admin | Aug 22, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
From serving on the leadership team and the board of directors to teaching, navigating student jobs, and mentoring scholarship recipients, to leading retreats for campus ministry, nine CRSM alums have a special connection to the school as the 2022-23 school year kicks off.
“CRSM is a place of community, family and great expectations,” says Viridiana Fajardo, the recently appointed Operations & Finance Director who is the first alumna in the Cristo Rey Network of 38 schools to serve on a school’s leadership team. “To be able to be part of that, on the other side of the desk is exciting.” Viridiana is a graduate of the Class of ’10 and has worked at CRSM as the Admissions and Administration Coordinator since 2015.
Her words are representative of the sentiments of all the alumni who have returned to their CRSM alma mater to make a difference. They all agree the time they spent in high school helped shape them into the persons they are today.
Coming full circle, Iris Sanchez, 22, joined CRSM last spring as a campus minister and says she is committed to helping students who are struggling right now by being that person they can come to. In her new role, she will help lead retreats, teach theology, and work side-by-side with students volunteering to make a difference in the lives of the Waukegan area community.
Iris, a Class of ’18 CRSM graduate from North Chicago, earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2021 from Roosevelt University, and hopes one day to help local families as an immigration lawyer and/or advocate. She believes her experiences here, both as student and now as spiritual guide, will be pivotal in helping her truly help area families. “I feel like we are like EMT’s responding and reaching out to meet the needs of our neighbors in the community,” says Iris. “I’m so excited to be back here.”
Brisel Jimènez, says she is passionate about working with students at CRSM whom she feels a strong connection to. As a work-student development manager for our Corporate Work Study Program, the Class of ’15 graduate says her goal is to help students persevere no matter what challenges they face. She graduated from University of Illinois Chicago with an economics degree and is currently studying for her master’s at De Paul University.
“I want to make a difference in this community and connect with students as they build their networks, says Brisel. “Each student eventually becomes a self-advocate for what they are passionate about, I’m just here to facilitate the onboarding process of a new job for them. It’s amazing to see how they flourish into a professional in the workplace.”
Anthony Ochoa, 23, a scholar coach with the Schuler Scholar program, and Class of ’17 grad, says, “The Cristo Rey community had a huge impact on me, developing a love of learning, and my experience in college, and I want to give back to my community and help other students find a path they are passionate about. He graduated with a double major in philosophy and psychology from Bates College.
Also, on board at CRSM are Edwin Medina, accountant in the CRSM business department and Class of ’11 grad, Giselle Baca, CWSP Relationship Manager and Class of ’16 graduate, Darline Alonso, science teacher from the Class of ‘08, and Daniel Arizmendi, Class of ’19 who is working part-time as an intern for the work-study program while he is attending college.
Like so many of the alums, Esmeralda “Esme” Silva is hoping to set an example for kids in the district. Since her freshman year at Cristo Rey St. Martin 16 years ago, Esme has been determined to be of service to others. Dedicated to paying her life forward and amplify the voices of victims of violence, the 30-year-old works to end human trafficking in several Wisconsin counties. A Class of ’10 grad, she also is the first CRSM alumna to be named to the Board of Trustees.
“I am extremely honored to be seated at the table with leaders who will make such a difference in the lives of students like I once was.”
by admin | Feb 28, 2022 | CWSP
On Wednesday, February 25th, the Corporate Work Study Program met virtually with its 80 business partners. Participants gathered in round-table discussions meant to maximize the benefits to the companies, managers, student supervisors and Cristo Rey students.
Brian Weinberg, the Director of Corporate Work Study gave updates, some very good news regarding student performance reviews and new information about training and peer mentoring with students.
“The supervisors at our Business Partners are a key component to the success of our Corporate Work Study Program,” says Weinberg. “Their mentorship and supervisory skills help our student workers be more productive, take ownership in their work, and communicate more openly with members of their teams.”
Attendees then broke out into groups to collaborate regarding supervisor feedback techniques and to share their positive experiences and their most challenging situations. The groups reconvened to share their insights.
Weinberg shared the following milestones:
- Students work for 80 business partners as far north as Kenosha, south as Evanston and west to Rosemont and Antioch.
- CRSM serves 7% of the total high school population in Waukegan and North Chicago, yet alumni account for 50% of all new bachelor’s degrees earned in Waukegan and North Chicago.
- 100% of the senior class accepted into 4-year bachelor’s programs for the last two consecutive years and on track for 100% in 2022. Colleges and universities range from Boston, DePaul, Northwestern and Stanford universities to St. Mary’s, St. Olaf, and Hope colleges.
