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Catholic Schools
November 29, 2016 | The Valley Catholic
Cristo Rey San José Student Speaks at HITEC Gala in San Francisco
Mayra Luna, a junior at Cristo Rey
San José Jesuit High School, was invited
to speak at the Hispanic IT Executive
Council (HITEC) Silicon Valley Summit Awards Dinner on October 28 at
the Westin Hotel in San Francisco.
HITEC is a global executive leadership
organization of senior business and IT
executives who have built outstanding careers in information technology.
HITEC’s mission is to enable business
and professional growth for its members and fill the executive pipeline with
the next generation of Hispanic leaders.
At the Summit Awards Dinner,
Mayra spoke in front of 400 IT executives and business leaders about her
experiences working at Cisco through
Cristo Rey San José’s Corporate Work
Study Program and how it has helped
her grow both professionally and personally. This past summer, through
the encouragement of her coworkers at
Cisco, Mayra was able to raise almost
$10,000 in order to attend Harvard Uni-
Mayra addresses 400 IT leaders and executives at the HITEC Summit Awards Dinner.
versity Summer School program where
she took classes in microeconomics and
psychology.
“This for me meant more than you
could imagine. I was so moved by the
kindness of e veryone,” recalled Mayra
in her speech. “I can’t ever forget that
HITEC funded a big part of the cost
and Cisco helped raise the rest of the
money.”
Mayra’s relationships with Cisco
and HITEC have allowed her to grow
her network and create opportunities
that she may not have experienced otherwise, such as the summer program
at Harvard. Mayra’s experience is not
unique. The Cristo Rey San José Corporate Work Study Program is designed to
expose students to careers and professional role models that will help them
gain the knowledge, experience, and
connections they need in order to be
successful at college and beyond.
Mayra ended her speech with an
inspiring call to action, urging the
attendees to give back to the youth in
their community:
“I am really thankful for knowing
and working with these individuals
at Cisco and HITEC. I am thankful
to know that if I ever need anything,
they are going to be there every step
of the way. I encourage every single
one of you to give. To teach the young
ones like me what technology and
companies like Cisco can do for them.
To help the youth achieve their goals,
because we are the next generation and
we are the ones that are going to make
a change in this world.”
Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High
School provides students from underserved communities a rigorous
college-prep education and a unique
Work Study program in which students
work one day per week at local businesses. Fees paid by companies such
as Cisco, HP, Yahoo, Palo Alto Medical
Foundation, Frank Rimerman + Co.,
and dozens of others help offset up to
50% of tuition costs. Sponsored jointly
by the California Province of the Society of Jesus and the Diocese of San Jose,
Cristo Rey San José is one of 32 schools
nationally that comprise the Cristo Rey
Network. For more information, please
visit www.cristoreysanjose.org.
Bishop McGrath Visits Sacred Heart School
Sacred Heart School in Saratoga
welcomed Bishop McGrath to the school
on October 13. Although his visit was a
short one, he left a memorable and indelible impression on everyone.
The day of the Bishop’s visit started
with our regular Thursday morning
Mass. Bishop McGrath presided, assisted by our Pastor Father Gary Thomas
and Parochial Vicar Father Robert McKay. At mass, the Bishop was presented
with a framed drawing created by 8th
grader Emma Gatlin. After Mass, our
principal, Mr. Pulchny escorted Bishop
McGrath to a special assembly that the
Student Council had prepared in the
gym. Student Council led the students
in prayer and the Pre-K and Kindergarten students sang a special song. Then,
students from each grade asked Bishop
McGrath many thoughtful prepared
questions. Bishop McGrath enjoyed
the questions and shared wonderful
stories with everyone. He gave some
very detailed responses that helped the
students better understand the activities
and life of a bishop. The final question
came from a Kindergartener who asked,
“Bishop McGrath, can you give us a day
off of school?” The Bishop said “Yes” to
a great roar of approval.
Later, the Bishop visited each classroom and talked with the students.
He said that he loves to get out of the
office and into the schools as much as
possible. We are looking forward to
welcoming him to the school again very
soon. Thank you, Bishop McGrath, for
visiting us–it was the high point of our
school year so far!
Bishop McGrath talks to students during his visit to Sacred Heart School.
Saint Mary Gilroy Students Honor the
“Day of the Dead”
Saint Mary School junior high students commemorated All Souls Day with a special Mass
officiated by Father Generoso Geronimo at the Old Saint Mary Cemetery established in 1865.
In honor of “Day of the Dead,”
Saint Mary School (Gilroy) 6th grade
students studied in religion class the
traditional Latino and Cajun celebration of Dia de los Muertos.
In addition to molding and decorating sugar skulls, each student created an ofrenda, a shrine or altar to
honor a deceased loved one. Students
decorated memory boxes and added
photos, symbols, medals, mementos
and other small objects that reflected
the interests and history of the person
they were remembering. While not a
sad time but rather a warm and caring
time of remembrance, the students
learned about the cycle of life and did a
write-up about their loved ones and the
objects they chose to represent them.
The 6th grade also celebrated the
day with the other junior high classes
at the Old Saint Mary Cemetery,
which was established in 1865 and is
located within walking distance from
the school. This field trip to celebrate
Mass is an annual event for the junior
high students as a time to reflect and
remember their loved ones.