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Cristo Rey achieves 100% college acceptance

For the sixth year in a row, all of Cristo Rey seniors have been accepted to college.

<p>Cristo Rey celebrates 100% college acceptance for its seniors.</p>

Cristo Rey celebrates 100% college acceptance for its seniors.

Imagine having to manage both high school classes and college courses and staying on top of your extracurricular activities. Detroit Cristo Rey students have done that, and it's paid off. For the sixth consecutive year they’ve all been accepted to college.

Detroit Cristo Rey seniors manage dual-enrollment classes at Marygrove in the afternoon while dealing with a whole morning of their regular classes. But previous senior classes went through this as well. What makes class of 2017 different is that this year’s senior class have gone above and beyond in applying to college.

“This class will probably have our most impressive list of colleges that [the seniors] were accepted to,” said Cristo Rey president Mike Khoury.

Many seniors have applied to countless prestigious colleges all over the country. Others have found their perfect college in their home state of Michigan.

Richard Zarate, a senior and a member of the Cristo Rey robotics team, was accepted into his first-choice college: Michigan Tech, where he was recognized out of 1,000 applicants to join their leading scholars program. “Michigan Tech has been my dream school since freshman year. I just fell in love with the community and the atmosphere of the campus,” Zarate said.

Ruben Lugo, another senior, applied to his first choice: University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and was ecstatic when he received a full tuition scholarship to attend. He said: “U of M has been my first choice ever since I knew what college was. I've always thought it was an exceptional institution, and everything I did throughout my high school career was to get there.”

Both Lugo and Zarate said Cristo Rey has helped them achieve their college goals. Zarate said that Cristo Rey has “helped [keep him] on track with not only college acceptances, but with scholarships as well.”

The college advisors have assisted him with, “specific opportunities that [have helped him] make college more affordable,” he said.

Cristo Rey's curriculum has helped many students prepare for college, Lugo said. “My college readiness class and dual-enrollment classes at Marygrove [have] immersed me into the college life and made me more confident about my transition [into college],” Lugo said.

Two more seniors, in addition to Lugo, have been offered full-ride scholarships to colleges. This year, Detroit Cristo Rey will have three seniors attending the University of Michigan. Last year, none of the 2016 graduates attended Michigan.

Zarate’s advice for next year’s seniors: “If you don’t receive the letter you were hoping for, either from a university or college, it’s not the end. Use [that] as motivation to do better and to find alternative routes to get where you want to be.”

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