CEO Tom, COO Shelly, VP of Operations Nairi, pictured with former O’Neill and Associates Cristo Rey corporate work study student Angela (second from right)

Academic Signing Day is one of the most anticipated highlights for the graduating class of Cristo Rey Boston High School. The day culminates with a celebration where the five top-performing seniors reveal their college decisions by donning a hat emblazoned with their selected college’s logo. Their chosen destinations: UMass Lowell, Bentley University, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, and Boston College. The jubilant moment is filled with shouts of praise and tears of joy. And, while the event’s main attraction is the unveiling by these extraordinary seniors, the night celebrates the entire graduating class of Cristo Rey Boston High School, exceptional in that every graduating senior goes on to a four year college. Many of them are the first in their families to graduate high school.

The path from freshman year to graduation is not easy for Cristo Rey Boston students. Many first year students come to the school with skill levels that are below average for their grade and age. Over the course of four years of accelerated academics, nearly all the students graduate at the appropriate skill level. Along with classroom work, the school requires students to take on a work study at a local business to gain insight into what it is like to work in a professional setting.

Cristo Rey utilizes a unique educational model and multipronged approach for success: active participation by family, faculty, and corporate sponsors. The students, who often come from limited means, must first have a family who is willing to steer them to the private school and encourage them along the way. Balancing challenging academics and a work study is rigorous and support at home is essential. At school the faculty works with each individual student, giving them personal attention and instruction. There are no shortcuts to success, but the path to graduation is paved with such caring classroom teaching teams. Lastly, corporate sponsors play an integral role in the lives of the students. Beginning in their freshman year, companies takes on students and mentors them over the next four years by providing guidance and teaching valuable skills that will benefit them in all future endeavors.

In the end, the true success behind Cristo Rey Boston is the resolve and commitment of the students themselves. The students must want to succeed. Despite all the incredible support of family, faculty, and corporate sponsors, these students still need to make the most of the opportunities in front of them.

Cristo Rey Boston is special to everyone at O’Neill and Associates. CEO Tom O’Neill served as Board Chair of Cristo Rey Boston and its predecessor, North Cambridge Catholic for nearly three decades. In addition our office has employed work study students since the program’s inception in 2004. The staff here knows the work study students personally and we are invested in their success. It is a privilege to be a part of the Cristo Rey Boston story. Our sincere congratulations to the Class of 2018.