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The e-newsletter of Chestnut Hill College

Partnership Benefits High School Students

Partnership Benefits High School Students

Cristo Rey agreement
Jodie K. Smith, vice president for enrollment management, and Michael Gomez, principal of Cristo Rey Philadelphia, sign the partnership agreement.
Brenda Lange

Chestnut Hill College recently announced a partnership with Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School that offers two, $20,000 annual scholarships to first-year students entering CHC from Cristo Rey Philadelphia. The first scholarships will be awarded in the fall 2016 semester.

Cristo Rey Philadelphia is one of 28 high schools in the Cristo Rey network, which serves more than 9,000 students around the country. The Philadelphia school opened in 2012 as a partnership between local educators, businesses and universities and is an independent, Catholic high school for youth of all faiths in grades 9 to 12. The school’s website notes that the curriculum combines rigorous academics with professional work experience and serves high school students who could not otherwise afford a private education.

Cristo Rey Philadelphia students work five days per month in real jobs, for real wages, at leading Philadelphia area businesses where they are mentored by professionals. Its site says the jobs accelerate the students’ development and the wages they earn fund a substantial portion of the cost of their education.

The CHC scholarships will be renewable for up to four years of full-time enrollment in the School of Undergraduate Studies. Recipients must meet all of CHC’s admissions requirements.

“We believe that each student who comes to Chestnut Hill College has the opportunity to benefit from a mission-based, curriculum rich, Catholic liberal arts education offered in an inclusive environment,” says President Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D. “Our schools have similar missions of engaging students from their first encounter through graduation. Our vision is that Cristo Rey students will experience a seamless transition from high school into academia that will prepare them for life’s challenges by helping them to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and socially.”

— Brenda Lange

This story was originally published in the August 2015 issue of Connections.