Memorable Moments from Expo Night
The Corporate Work Study program is an essential part of a Cristo Rey education. Many of our families choose CRJS for the unique work-study experience. At our inaugural CWS Expo Night on May 9, families and founding corporate partners had the opportunity to engage and share their enthusiasm and hopes for the partnership. Students asked questions and learned more about the businesses where they may be working in just a few months.
Founding corporate partners who joined us for this event included Alaska Airlines, Cairncross & Hempelmann, JLL at Amazon GREF, Microsoft, Northwest Center, PACCAR, Providence Health, Seattle Bank, the Space Needle, the Archdiocese of Seattle, and T-Mobile. In addition, community resources like Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, and T-Mobile Project 10 Million also attended. CRJS was buzzing with activity and energy.
The evening was beneficial to both partners and families.
Partners were delighted to meet some of their potential new employees. Jody from JLL at Amazon said, “I’m so excited for the energy the students will bring, and the ideas. It’s not just us teaching them, they’ll be teaching us.” An from Providence Health said, “As soon as we learned about the program, we were instantly on board.”
Mary Grace, a Seattle Bank representative, was excited to see so many students from a wide variety of schools. She was impressed by how prepared the students were.
“They came to our exhibit with good questions about banking and what their role would be. They demonstrated a lot of initiative, shook our hands, and were clearly planning and thinking about what it would be like to have a job at a workplace.”
Kimberly, representing the Archdiocese of Seattle, said Expo Night was a joyful experience. “I really enjoyed meeting all the students. I think you have a great group of freshmen coming in and it was so exciting talking with each of them.”
Students and their families were equally excited to talk to corporate partners. Incoming 9th graders Hugo, Abby, and Jesus shared a little about what companies they were most interested in and some of their goals for future careers.
Hugo's favorite conversation was with the Microsoft team because he is interested in technology and IT. His mom was amazed to learn T-Mobile had so many different departments and opportunities for students, while his dad couldn’t believe how fast Hugo is growing up!
Jesus was most interested in PACCAR. He was drawn to their goals of building new things that make life easier. If he is placed at PACCAR, he would love to learn more about how they decide what products they develop and why.
Abby thought the best part of Expo Night was getting to know all the different corporate partners. She was surprised to learn how much bigger the companies were than she expected. T-Mobile was most interesting for Abby because she wants to be a lawyer and thinks having experience in a large corporate environment would be helpful. Her mom, Rocio, loves how the students can learn more about the real-life experience at these corporate partners' workplaces.
We are so grateful for the founding partners and families who attended Expo Night. The energy and anticipation in the room were tangible reminders of our mission as we prepare for the Montserrat Summer Bridge Program, the first day of school, and CWS Draft Day in August.
Learn more about our unique CWS program here. We are accepting applications for 9th grade – learn more and apply here.
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