Posted by Molly, UST Sophomore, Psychology and Catholic Studies
When I first heard about Caritas, I knew it was exactly what I needed to be doing. A friend within the Catholic Studies program decided to create an opportunity for other Catholic Studies majors to volunteer at a relatively new school, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.

Through past volunteering experiences, I was familiar with the rewarding feeling of giving some of your own personal time to something outside of yourself. Coming from a small town in Wisconsin, I’ve never really been faced with a great deal of diversity before attending St. Thomas. Even here, our campus is still in the process of becoming more diverse. But Cristo Rey, off of Lake Street in Minneapolis, is no stranger to diversity. I admit, I was a bit nervous on my first visit, not knowing what to expect. As soon as I walked into the school, I was struck with an overwhelming energy from the students. They have this constant buzz about them that is very powerful, and with a little leadership, quite productive. I admire every one of those students for the work ethic they apply at school every day. In order to attend Cristo Rey, the prospective student’s family must fall below an “underresourced” income level set by the school. To pay for their schooling, the students work at local companies under a corporate mentor for five full workdays per month. In this, they not only attend school, but they also are prepared for the workplace, too. The afterschool program runs from 4:00pm – 5:15pm, and I volunteer specifically on Thursdays. Each day the students have multiple clubs they can choose to take part in afterschool, and commit to them for a quarter of their school year. In the fall, the club I helped with was just “the Service Club” but now it has become a part of the internationally-known “Interact Club”. A few members from the Rotary Club also volunteer on Thursdays.

I really have grown attached to these high school students. All of them have dreams and goals of their future plans to attend college and have successful careers. I recently learned of the power in education and its ability to pull someone out of poverty. With the inspiring determination these students have, I fully believe this is true and know they not only have incredible potential, but will live up to it. They each have such unique stories, but they’re all there, every Thursday, always curious and willing (sometimes with a little encouragement) to take on a new project. If you asked me whether I volunteered anywhere, my initial reaction would probably be no, and then after some thought I might consider this “volunteering”. But that’s just it, working with these students is like spending time with your family; it doesn’t feel like a commitment, it just feels like something you love to do, something that’s enjoyable, not a chore. It never surprises me just how quickly you can fall in love with a group of people.