When Alexis Medina played baseball for Cristo Rey, he was the person you wanted behind the plate with a 3-2 count and a runner on third. He was all in and faced the pressure.

The pressure at Cristo Rey Kansas City's Class of 2019 Graduation was a littledifferent. As a newly-minted college graduate, Alexis was behind the podium delivering the commencement address. Steady and assured, he delivered.

"Cristo Rey Class of 2019, congratulations," said Alexis. "You made it!"
 
"Bear" Medina, of the Class of 2015, used the pacing of an athlete to explain to Cristo Rey's newest graduates how to get in the game in the college. "Things didn't really get going for me until the end of my sophomore year. I had a chance to go on retreat in Michigan." 

A true sportsman, the lure of a "retreat" for this Rockhurst University student also came with camping, backpacking and canoeing. Medina told students that this decision was one of the best things that he had ever done and that it turned his college experience around, inspiring him to get more involved on campus.

Medina joined the Hispanic Honor Society, served as an officer in Voices for Justice, and engaged in many campus-sponsored service activities. His zeal for social justice led him to the Dominican Republic to plant coffee trees and work on a construction detail. Later, he traveled to El Paso, Texas to learn about immigration and to walk the immigrant experience.

Bear concluded his talk with this advice, "Keep your dreams big. . .celebrate this big achievement. . .greatness awaits."

Bear's road to greatness begins a new leg next fall. As an Alumni Service Corps volunteer at Arrupe Jesuit High School - our sister school in Denver - he will gain experience working in a school that could lead him to his ultimate goal in life: athletic director in a school, school administration or a youth development program.

Cheers for Alexis! In May 2019, Bear earned dual degrees from Rockhurst University in Sports Management and Spanish.