Emily, Ignacio, Jennifer and Fredi were shining stars at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, where their leadership and achievements set their course for becoming the first in their families to go to college. Getting accepted to Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict put their goal within reach. Dan Dryer ’80 and Janet Dryer ’83 helped them tighten their grip on their future with a full scholarship to SJU/CSB’s top-notch Catholic and Benedictine liberal arts education.
Emily, Ignacio, Jennifer and Fredi are the first recipients of the Dryer Scholarship, which will fund an SJU/ CSB education for four Cristo Rey Jesuit graduates each year, two Johnnies and two Bennies, with the hope of sending over 100 students to college. Dryer Scholars will receive $20,000 annually, enough to finance the gap other sources like the Pell Grant and Minnesota State Grant don’t cover. “It’s expensive to go to a private school, and many people can’t afford it,” Janet said. “We would like to give these students the same opportunity for the great education and college experience that we had.” It’s the kind of scholarship almost every college-bound student dreams of. “It’s something I never imagined, to be
honest. It gives me the chills,” Jennifer said. “I started crying because it’s something that I had always heard about, and I was like ‘Oh my God, a full-ride scholarship.’ That’s so hard to get, I feel like,” Emily recalled. “To this day I still don’t know how to put my feelings into words. I was just very excited, happy, proud that I was able to get this,” Ignacio said. “(My parents) did everything for me, and that’s why I’m doing everything for them. Even though it’s just my mom now, I’m still doing it for my pops because he’s looking down on me and I want him to be proud of me. “And I know he’s proud of me and he would want to hug me when I got the full ride.”
Dan ’80 and Janet ’83 Dryer are sharing their success with a new generation of Johnnies and Bennies by starting a scholarship for standout students at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis. Another alum, Jeb Myers ’97, is Cristo Rey Jesuit’s president.
14 SUMMER/FALL 2020