From CA to Columbia, from IBM to Facebook

Since he was in middle school, Jesús Reyes ’13 knew where he wanted to go to college: Columbia University. When the Denver native was accepted to the Ivy League institution, he knew it had everything to do with his being a student at Colorado Academy. “CA prepared me well in academics and test-taking and put me in a good position to be a competitive applicant to colleges,” says Reyes, who attended CA from Ninth to Twelfth Grade. “Not many other schools offer such a great educational experience.” But then, two weeks before Reyes was to leave for his first year at Columbia, his older brother passed away. The two had been close. Reyes had told him how much he wanted to go to Columbia, and he knew his big brother was proud of him for getting into the prestigious school he’d set his sights on. Now he wouldn’t be able to see him go off to college. It’s the kind of life event that can throw a young student off course. At his brother’s funeral, Reyes saw two familiar faces: Upper School Director of Admission Dr. Carolyn Ash and Dr. Jon Vogels, who was Upper School Principal at the time. With their presence, Reyes felt their care and support. Four years later, Reyes graduated from Columbia University with honors. What the business industry and CA have in common

With a bachelor’s degree in political science and a passion for social issues like immigration, Reyes had thought he might go to law school. He spent college summers doing internships for public policy entities, including the Migrant Farm Worker Division of Colorado Legal Services in Denver and the Office of United States Senator Michael Bennett (D-Colo.) in Washington, D.C. But then he landed a job as a consultant for IBM. And he found an industry that felt like the right place for him. “The business environment is always changing, so you have to keep developing your skills,” he says. In this new professional environment, Reyes applied his affinity for technology, along with his ability to continually learn and adapt on the job—concepts that stem back to his experience in extracurricular activities at CA.

“The options at CA are vast, more than at many other high schools,” says Reyes, who was involved in technical theater, basketball, weightlifting, and the diversity club. “This gives you the chance to try new experiences and gets you into an early mindset of trying new things and seeing what you enjoy.” For IBM, Reyes created data-driven sales plans and advised executives at the multinational technology corporation.

From Left: Alex Rodriguez, Jesús Reyes ’13, Irma Reyes, Jesús Reyes

What it’s like to work for Facebook

And now Reyes works for a company with 2.8 billion customers.

“It’s a competitive company to get into,” says Reyes, who is now program manager for Facebook. He provides project management and internal advertising strategy for the ubiquitous social media company. “The work is really autonomous, and I enjoy that,” says Reyes, who, since he started there in 2019, has received additional

responsibilities and been promoted. “And it’s exciting, because I’m involved with a lot of different projects.” While he was living and officing in the Bay Area, he has been working remotely for the past year and a half, which allowed him to move back to Denver.

With a long-time interest in music and sports, he’s eyeing the entertainmentfocused departments of Facebook for his next step. And he’d love to land a position at a Facebook office that would give him the experience of living in another country. He’s angling for Singapore but keeping his options open.

Where you can find your own community

Before CA, Reyes attended a school with a 95 percent Hispanic and Latino student population. He felt like he fit in there. And when he came to the CA Upper School, he felt like he fit in almost immediately. At a CA event before the school year even began, he met Sam Givray ‘13, his best friend to this day. And once he dug into classes, sports, and extracurricular activities, he felt even more at home.

He helped design and build play sets and worked as a sound technician for the Theater Department. He served as a leader for the Faces of Diversity Club. For his Senior service work, he and his classmates taught an interactive lesson on culture and heritage, with Tlaxcalteca dancing, at a local elementary school. Nearly a decade after graduating, Reyes is still close with two classmates and his Freshman Buddy from his Senior year. “It happened naturally that I was able to create a new community early on,” he says. “There was such an open community at CA. Starting all the way from the Head of School, everyone was very welcoming.” And of course, he’ll always remember how members of his CA community attended his brother’s funeral and were there for him in his time of need.

“That showed how the CA community is so supportive.” n