Class Notes
Chris Page’ 99 is thankful for the opportunity he had to attend Fordham Prep. Growing up in the South Bronx, one of his biggest influences at a young age was Thomas Beck P’ 87,’ 89, who encouraged Chris to attend the Prep. While in school, several faculty members proved to be huge inspirations.“ I had a close relationship with Mr.( Bruce) Bott’ 59. And Dr. Morris, Fr. Sullivan and Mrs. Bulis were my mentors. The education and the people were awesome. It is one of the times of my life that I look back on with great fondness – and an experience that has stuck with me for my life.”
After high school, Chris went to LeMoyne College and into real estate after graduation. All was well for six years, before the market burst during the financial crisis of 2008-09. After the crash, Chris went to work for an energy company he had encountered during his time in real estate.
With his career now settled, Chris had a desire to assist students at Fordham Prep and give back to his alma mater – the school which had given him so much. He wanted to find a significant way to give back to the school and its students that involved more than just a donation. Page’ s experience at Fordham Prep was life-changing, and since he was a tuition assistance recipient, one of the ways he felt he could repay the school was giving other aid recipients an opportunity.
As coincidence would have it, one day Chris sat down on Metro-North and struck up a conversation with a person sitting by him. That person was none other than Fordham Prep’ s president, Fr. Christopher Devron, SJ. The two connected and later went to lunch. During the lunch, Page talked about an organization he was involved with, The Five Borough Realty Managers’ Social Club, which assists people with finding work in the New York real estate industry. Intrigued by the idea, Fr. Devron asked if Fordham Prep students could be a part of the program.
This turned out to be a unique opportunity that allows students to work at apartment buildings as summer relief for vacationing full-time employees. Students can earn close to $ 20 an hour working as doormen, porters, elevators operators, or doing manual labor. The students selected must be at least 17 years old, have done well in school and be in need of assistance as they move on to college. It was a win-win for both the students and the building owners: the students earned money for college and the building owners had reliable vacation replacements.
The call went out last spring for eligible seniors – eleven students submitted resumes and cover letters, and of those eleven, five were placed at apartment buildings in Riverdale and Manhattan properties. Chris and Larry Curran’ 77, Assistant to the Vice President, met with the eleven students to ensure that they were comfortable with taking on the responsibilities and were up to the challenge. Page checked in with the students periodically to see how the jobs were going.
For their part, the students did an excellent job and had the opportunity to be invited back for next summer. For Chris, the fact he is able to give back to the next generation of Fordham Prep alumni makes it worthwhile.
“ As a younger alumnus, it’ s a great feeling to give back to the Prep in some sort of way. I would like to see this type of program expand where alumni are actively engaged to give recent graduates opportunities and see the networking side the alumni community. We all went through the school and are all connected.”
24 | RAMVIEW