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Some phrases that teenagers use become popular overnight and then go out of style as quickly as they come in. Other words are timelessly used by every generation of teenagers. “My mom made me” is one of those phrases that I probably would have heard from kids a hundred years ago and still hear from our students today. Usually, a teenager says it in response to something they know they have to do, don’t really want to do, but deep down understand that it is for the best…and usually mom tells them!
I most recently heard this expression at a lunch event where Adrian Mora, one of our graduates, was a featured speaker. I had the opportunity to visit with Adrian immediately after the event, and he shared how Cristo Rey played a pivotal role in his life. He told me that as an eighth grader he absolutely did NOT want to attend Cristo Rey Jesuit. At the time he was looking at high schools, Cristo Rey was brand new and no one knew much about it. Adrian’s friends were all going to other places for high school. He’d have to get up earlier and the school year was longer than most schools. Adrian also wasn’t crazy about the uniform expectation either as he was coming from a public school where a uniform wasn’t required. He told me how vigorously he argued with his mom that he did not want to attend Cristo Rey Jesuit, but he concluded, “my mom made me…and it’s the best decision we could have made.”
Adrian expressed to me that he felt he developed good study habits and a good academic work ethic while at Cristo Rey Jesuit. He also credited the school’s Corporate Work Study Program with vaulting him into a career track that shaped his trajectory through the present day. Through CWSP, Adrian worked at Northwestern Mutual for three years while at Cristo Rey Jesuit. He was admitted to Marquette University and earned the prestigious All-In scholarship award. He continued to work at Northwestern Mutual in college and midway through his college tenure, at the encouragement of his advisors, he accepted an internship at Baird that ultimately aligned with his major more closely. Adrian graduated this past May from Marquette University having accepted a job at Baird as a portfolio analyst.
Adrian spoke to me about how difficult it was at times, as a first generation college student, to navigate his way through his educational journey. He was thankful for all the mentors in his life that had helped him get to this point. He told me that as he looked back over the past eight years he could see how the opportunities Cristo Rey Jesuit opened up for him linked together to help get him to where he was today. Thank goodness for our moms who make us do things we sometimes don’t like to do for our own good. Looking back, Adrian is very grateful for his mom making him come to Cristo Rey Jesuit, and we are too! Thank you, Mrs. Mora.
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