Over the past two years, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know our first Cristo Rey intern. Victor came to us as a shy but competent and hard-working Junior. He’s now leaving our team as a Cristo Rey graduate starting his first year at San Jose State University. We are all sad to see him go, but we know that he has great things ahead of him. We are grateful for all that we’ve learned from Victor. After he worked with us for a year, we asked Victor what it is that we do at the Foundation. His answer was simple and eloquent: “We help donors donate.”
Thank you, Victor, for all your hard work and for being a part of our team.
One of Victor’s last work assignments was to write an article for our website about his work study experience. We hope you enjoy learning a bit about Victor and his high school journey.
By Victor Ramirez-Laguna
I gained a lot of insight from my high school experience in general. It wasn’t what I was expecting and there were some things I regret but I did learn a lot from my time spent there. Before attending Cristo Rey, I was very hesitant to do so but my mom insisted it was the best option for the both of us. It had an objectively safer campus than other high schools in the area and it was closer to home meaning that I was able to walk back home in case she couldn’t pick me up. None of my closest friends at the time were going and I also wasn’t particularly interested in joining a Catholic institution due to bad experiences with religion as a kid.
Once I got to learn more about Cristo Rey through my interview, I grew more comfortable with the idea of enrolling. The coolest part about the school was the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). It was the first time I had ever heard of such a concept. It’s a unique program since it means that students miss one whole class day per week to go work at a job. My first job ever was at the City of San Jose, in the human resources department. I did a lot of filing and helped out on various events they held. It was a very insightful experience of what an office job was like.
Unfortunately, my CWSP and in person high school experience was cut short due to COVID-19 for almost 2 years. On the other hand, Covid really helped me discover what kind of environment I work and feel the best in. Just like how some people are at their best when they are with others, I feel like I’m at my best and do the best work I can when I’m by myself (unless math is involved). When I get grouped with other people who don’t share the same ideas or goals I feel as if everything then becomes one giant kerfuffle which often leads to the group not getting any work done. I appreciate it when I’m able to work on things by myself or with friends.
Once things settled down and in person school was back for my Junior year, I began working at the Catholic Community Foundation. This is my first job placement where I’ve really gotten the chance to get to know the staff and also work on more tasks involving the computer. I think I’ve garnered a lot of experience while working in the Catholic Community Foundation that I don’t think I would have ever gotten if my school didn’t have the CWSP program.
One of the things I took away from the work study program that I’d like to take with me when I’m a student at San Jose State this fall is the importance of networking. My favorite part about my job is how easily approachable my supervisors and the other staff members are; and having lunch from all kinds of places was also really cool too.
In spite of some of the regrets I had, choosing the Catholic Community Foundation as my work study placement job was something I don’t think I’ll ever regret. One of the biggest things I took away from working at the Catholic Community Foundation is how everyone strongly believes that what we do is helping others. I think that’s something that I’ve been needing to learn how to feel because it can be hard, especially when you’re not doing grand things every day to change the world.