Archdiocese selects Cristo Rey OKC students at “Draft Day”

OKLAHOMA CITY – Representatives from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and Catholic Charities joined more than 50 businesses, non-profits and government agencies at the Meinders School of Business on Oct. 23 to participate in Cristo Rey Oklahoma City Catholic High School’s “Draft Day.”
 
The event was styled after an NBA or NFL draft and matched a team of students with each participating employer.
 
As each selection was announced, students and employers high-fived and some hugged as they met on stage to celebrate. The students will work at the corporate offices of the organizations that drafted them one day a week during the coming school year. Each will receive a stipend that pays the bulk of their tuition at Cristo Rey OKC, a private college preparatory school for children in low-income families. 
 
The archdiocese will employ eight Cristo Rey interns for the school year. They will work in stewardship and development, finance, communications and in the archbishop’s office. The students will work with chancery staff to learn different skills and be a part of a professional environment.
 
Cristo Rey President and CEO Chip Carter said the Corporate Work Study Program is what makes Cristo Rey OKC such a unique and successful school.
 
“There are a lot of great schools that don’t really have a ‘special sauce,’” Carter said. “We do. It is the support we receive from the business and non-profit communities through our Corporate Work Study Program. That support not only makes this school financially viable, it also provides our students with valuable work experience and professional connections they would not otherwise receive.”