ALUMNI RETURNING TO JOB PARTNERS

From Student Worker to Full-Time Employee

JUNIOR NGUYEN, CLASS OF 2018

Junior remembers taking biology for the first time with former Cristo Rey science teacher Ms. Eva Porter. “She sparked a curiosity in me and the content felt natural. I felt a calling towards science to learn more.”

Junior was able to further explore his interests when he was placed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for one of his WorkStudy jobs. Over the course of two years, he received a range of experiences in healthcare. “The Work-Study Program not only allowed me to explore my career interests, but taught me how to better communicate my ideas, how to build meaningful relationships, and how to be more confident and trusting of myself.”

At Haverford College, Junior used the skills he gained from Cristo Rey to share his gifts with his friends, mentors, and professors. Coming from an untraditional family background, and as a first-generation student, his community at Haverford College uplifted him to be the first in his family to receive a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology in the spring of 2022. Soon after, Junior began working at his former place of Work-Study employment, CHOP. Returning full time to CHOP as a Research Technician II, Junior works in Dr. Scott Canna’s laboratory to study how the immune system defends, and at times overprotects, itself from diseases. “There’s been a steep learning curve and adjustment so far, but I persevere because I want to contribute to advancement in science and better understand diseases affecting children.”

Junior’s goals are to gain more confidence and experience in his scientific methods and first-author research papers before heading to graduate school for a Ph.D. in Biology. Junior envisions becoming a teacher just like Ms. Porter to pay it forward: “STEM can be inaccessible for many underrepresented students, such as myself, and I hope to bring change to education and make the sciences accessible to all people.”

ALZBERTA NEI, CLASS OF 2018

Alzberta began working at Deloitte at just 14 years old in the Cristo Rey Work-Study Program. Eight years later, Alzberta is now working at Deloitte full-time as a Technology Analyst in the Accounting and Internal Controls Department. “The Work-Study Program and experience I’ve had definitely gave me a head start. I already knew the culture, the people and the systems Deloitte uses.”

Alzberta added that the Work-Study Program broadened her perspective at a young age. She thought being successful meant becoming a lawyer or a doctor. “I realized that there’s many different career opportunities, and I was grateful that Deloitte gave me the chance to explore different facets of the professional services industry.” Alzberta worked at Deloitte all four years of high school. Through her time there, she realized she had a passion and skill for data analytics, which influenced her decision to major in Management Information Systems (MIS) at Penn State University. During college, she kept in touch with her supervisors and landed summer internships at Deloitte, which allowed her to further explore career options through rotations in audit, risk and financial advisory.

After graduating in 2022 with a Bachelor’s of Science in MIS and seven years of internships under her belt, Alzberta is confident in her new role and excited to add client travel, as well as mentorship, to her resume. “My mentors have been so important to my growth over the years and I love that I can now ‘pay-it-forward’ by working with the current Cristo Rey students at Deloitte.”

MARILYN MEJIA, CLASS OF 2018

For Marilyn, ImageFirst has become more than just a place of work, it’s become a second family. “The people are amazing. My supervisor and other colleagues really took me under their wing in my freshman year and have supported me, not just in my professional experiences, but in my life experiences since then.”

Marilyn was part of the first cohort of students to work at ImageFirst in 2014 and quickly created a close bond with her supervisor that they still share today. After Marilyn graduated from Cristo Rey and began college at Gwynedd Mercy University, ImageFirst welcomed her back into their office to work over breaks and even offered her an opportunity to work for them remotely during her senior year.

In May 2022, she graduated from Gwynedd Mercy with her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a job offer from ImageFirst as a Sales Support Specialist. “I worked in the accounting department as an intern, so I’m excited to be learning something new in the sales department, and I hope in the future to do more in data analytics.”

Marilyn expressed her interest in data analytics to her manager and was provided the opportunity to lead a pilot program for tracking data in their database system. “I feel supported by the people here in my growth and career development. I’m so grateful for the opportunities they’ve provided me.”

Now on the other side of the Work-Study Program, Marilyn loves seeing the current Cristo Rey students who work at ImageFirst. “They’re always at my desk. It’s really nice to get to share my experience and trade stories with them. It’s a humbling experience.”

Work-Study Partners 2022-2023