Marquette is working with a local, low-income high school to provide various work opportunities to students.

Fifteen Cristo Rey Milwaukee High School students presently work on campus this school year as part of the school’s Corporate Work Study Program.

The school opened in July 2015 and is part of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools across the nation, whose enrollment is limited to low-income students. Cristo Rey students have a schedule that takes five days out of every school month for students to work with one of the school’s corporate partners.

Marquette currently employs more Cristo Rey Milwaukee High School students than any other corporate partner, with students working in offices around campus. Dan Walsh, Cristo Rey Network’s senior vice president of corporate work study, said corporate sponsors like Marquette receive many benefits by bringing on Cristo Rey students.

“Students deliver valued work that brings sponsors a good return on investment,” Walsh said. “They are also given an opportunity to showcase their values and help their community.”

Sally Doyle, the Marquette coordinator of Cristo Rey students, said that Marquette is a good fit for Cristo Rey students because of the variety of jobs that students can perform.

“We have so many different opportunities for the students,” Doyle said. “We have some students located in the College of Communication and they learn about what it’s like to do advertising. We have some students located in more of the academic units where they get to learn what it’s like to support faculty or administration. We also have some students located in the Office of Finance where they learn the business side of things.”

Doyle said students are compensated for the work they do on campus by paying for their tuition at Cristo Rey and learning work skills.

“Instead of it just being a straight financial benefit, the student is getting work experience, real working skills and great networking experiences,” Doyle said.

Joseph Mazza, the director of corporate work study program at Cristo Rey Milwaukee High School, explained how students get assigned to their respective workplaces.p

“Cristo Rey assigns the students to their workplaces; the partnering organizations don’t do the hiring,” Mazza said. “Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program acts as a staffing agency which places the students. Our assignment process is based on the job descriptions we receive from our work partners; in this case, the various colleges and departments at (Marquette) where our students work.”

Mazza explained how Cristo Rey’s training program gives students a good look at Marquette and gets them excited to work on campus.

“As far as why the students wanted to work at Marquette, that’s relatively easy: they love it there,” Mazza said. “We spend some time on MU’s campus during the summer at our Business Training Camp. That’s a four-week mandatory program where the incoming freshmen are immersed in corporate and post-high school life. They get campus tours and spend a week learning Microsoft Outlook in the computer labs in Cudahy (Hall). Most of the sophomores working at MU this year worked there last year as well.”

Marquette has set a goal of obtaining a 25 percent Hispanic population over the next 10 years. Doyle believes that the Cristo Rey program could contribute to achieving this goal.

“Cristo Rey definitely has a high Hispanic population,” Doyle said. “I think that the students who attend Cristo Rey High School and their families would find Marquette and its mission a natural fit for their family values.”

Ana Luci Gonzalez, a sophomore at Cristo Rey High School, is working at the Office of the President for her second straight year.

“I do filing, making copies and I check over lists a lot,” Gonzalez said. “Pretty much anything they ask of me, like if I need to send out emails or if the phone needs to be answered, I’ll do that.”

Gonzalez said that working in the office is a good experience for jobs later on in her life.

“I feel like a lot of the double checking is going to help me develop skills on detail,” Gonzalez said. “Looking over information and looking for information is always going to be needed and you’re always going to be doing it in some form.”

Gonzalez said the experience encouraged her to consider Marquette when she’s ready to apply for colleges.

“Marquette has always been an ideal school for me to go to,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully working here can give me a little head start.”