Cristo Rey Miami High School is celebrating a major milestone – its very first graduating class.
And their achievements are extraordinary.
Arianna Salazar, a senior, was accepted to 14 colleges and has been awarded more than $1.3 million in merit scholarships.
“Every school, all the money was adding up,” Salazar said.
Alyssa Charles was accepted to 15 colleges, earning more than $1.2 million in merit scholarships.
“All the hard work I’ve been doing is paying off,” Charles said.
Gambia Whiting was accepted to 14 colleges and received more than $1.2 million in merit scholarships.
“I’ve been getting acceptances after acceptances,” Whiting said.
Together, they’re part of Cristo Rey Miami’s Millionaires Club.
“It was mind blowing,” said Deonte Green, Cristo Rey Miami’s School Principal. “However, I knew from the beginning, and I believed in every student, and I knew they were going to achieve success.”
Senior class has earned more than $20 million in scholarship offers
That success goes far beyond a few students. Collectively, the senior class has earned more than $20 million in scholarship offers.
School leaders say it’s driven by a unique model.
“We combine faith formation with rigorous academics and real-world work experience,” Green said. “Our students come to school here academically for four days, then one day a week they are deployed to leading companies in Florida.”
The students cover the cost of tuition though the work programs.
“Every one of these young ladies that we spoke with will be the first person in their family to attend college. How monumental is that?” CBS New Miami’s Najahe Sherman asked.
“For our families, that literally breaks cycles for them,” Green replied.
It’s proof that with opportunity, the future can change.
Students from Cristo Rey Miami’s first graduating class have been accepted to more than 113 universities across 36 states.
School leaders expect the Class of 2026 to reach a 100% college acceptance rate by May.
