Above: Cristo Rey graduates celebrate June 6 at the Carolina Theatre in Durham.
Photos by Greg Mintel
The graduates crossed the stage in all sorts of ways. Some moved as if they were walking down a street alone. Others danced. Some waved with both hands and blew kisses toward the audience. Before the first steps toward the diplomas, there were deep breaths, necklace and cap adjustments and eyes searching the crowd for familiar faces.
There was no rush. There were no requests for silence in the Carolina Theater of Durham. With 69 graduates, there was time for each graduate to hear their name and then cheers of family and friends.
In the words of one educator, these high school seniors “helped write the first chapter” of Cristo Rey Research Triangle High School. They represented its first graduating class.
The high school opened in the fall 2021 after years-long feasibility studies and an 18-month launch phase. It was the 38th school of its kind in the country, and part of the Cristo Rey Network, which values Catholic faith, academics and a corporate work study program that not only gives real world experience but also helps offset the cost of tuition.
During their time at Cristo Rey Research Triangle, the class of 2025 worked a combined 71,208 hours at 71 placements, which included tech companies, hospitals, nonprofits, churches, preschools and sports teams. In addition to praying the Examen daily and attending Mass at school monthly and participating in a yearly retreat, the class logged more than 1,000 hours of community service during their senior year.
As a student speaker noted, they were trail blazers as the founding class. With no map and no one older to look up to, their example was themselves.
Before the ceremony, a large screen on the stage featured each graduate by name, photo and a description of their next step in life, whether it be attending a college or university, serving in the military or entering the workforce. Music played and the sounds of talking and movement inside the theater, which seats about 1,000, was ever rising as the graduation time grew closer. Parents and friends filed in with flower bouquets and mobile phones connected to relatives and loved ones in other states. The podium was decorated in the school colors of gold and blue, and flowers such as sunflowers and hydrangea called the colors to mind again.
Dr. Neil Cronin, the school’s president, welcomed everyone to commencement and the graduates processed in. Opening prayer was offered by Richard Emmanuel Johnson, and Homero Lopez Vacio presented student speaker Michelle Amador, who was selected by her peers to share the address.
Greyban Benitez Carbajal presented the keynote speaker, Phil Ford — a former college, NBA and Olympic basketball player. Ford was also an assistant coach at the college and professional levels. He serves on the school’s Board of Directors, which includes Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama and chairman Mark Baric.
Mike Glenn, interim principal, kicked off the presentation of two awards - the Spirit of Cristo Rey Award and the Spirit of St. Ignatius Award. Dr. Mary Margaret Mills-Thomason, dean of curriculum and instruction, presented the Cristo Rey award to Rosemarie Dole, and Jaclyn Volpe, STEM instructor and community engagement coordinator, presented the St. Ignatius award to Sergio Campos Arenas.
Dr. William Villalba, a world languages instructor, began the presentation of the senior class and diplomas, and Roger Reed, corporate work study director, closed the ceremony with a declaration.
“Every tradition … every breakthrough, your fingerprints are all over it. That’s something no one can ever take from you,” he told the graduates. “When this journey began no one knew exactly how it would unfold. As the first class, you didn’t just grow, you helped the school grow.”
As people left the theater and filled the space outside the theater, a sea of balloons, bubbles and loved ones quickly emerged. Graduates posed for photos in front of the nearby water feature. Rosemarie Dole met her family there for dancing and took a minute to talk to NC Catholics.
“It was amazing,” said Dole, an award recipient. “I chose this school because of the corporate work study.” The program, she said, allowed her to work in her desired field alongside medical staff at The Forest at Duke, a continuing care retirement community. When asked what she would miss the most, Dole said, “the teachers” and the things she had an opportunity to plan, such as a banquet.
She’s heading to St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to continue her education.
More than 10 students received full scholarships to schools, including Smith, the University of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago, said Cronin, who added that $3 million in scholarship money was offered to members of the senior class.
“It was surreal and probably the proudest moment of my life,” said Mills-Thomason, who added that she knew Cristo Rey was the school for her when she was seeking the job and interviewed by students themselves. “A favorite moment for me, personally? Putting the pins on students and being able to say to them, ‘You did it!’”
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