The 66 members of the Cristo Rey Kansas City (CRKC) Class of 2014 really aren't very different from Tajah and Eddie. In the fall of 2006, Tajah Molden and Eddie Sanchez bought into the CRKC dream. They enrolled in the newly formed Cristo Rey Kansas City for high school. The promise of Cristo Rey was that a private Catholic college preparatory high school education was not only available to students with high economic need but also that this education would make those students ready for work and ready for college.

This spring, Tajah and Eddie both graduate from Rockhurst University. “Cristo Rey offered me hope and opened many doors. If you ever think about your life and what you have done to impact the world, think of me walking across that stage and receiving my degree and know that I am grateful,” said Tajah Molden. Tajah and Eddie are returning to their high school alma mater as the keynote speakers for the Class of 2014.

Tajah and Eddie’s high school years were full of firsts:

• Among the first students to attend Cristo Rey, 

• Among the first graduates of the school; and, 

• Among the first from their families to achieve both high school 

    and college graduation.

The good news continues with the CRKC Class of 2014. As with that very first class in 2010, every graduate this spring has earned acceptance to college.  Among Cristo Rey graduates, 87 percent are the first in their families to attend college. 

Other points of pride for the Class of 2014:

• The submission of 450 college applications to nearly 100 different colleges or universities. Institutions of higher learning have awarded nearly $2.7 million in combined college scholarships to this year’s graduates.  
• The first official National Honor Society Chapter was established with 15 seniors and 21 juniors recognized for their achievements. 
• A Robotics Club blazed the path to the FIRST Tech Challenge, the region’s premier robotics competition. In its initial year, the team custom-designed, engineered and programmed a robot for competition. 
• In state playoffs, Cristo Rey’s Boys’ Soccer Team won the District Championship. Three team members received Class 1 All-State recognition, and two have received scholarships to play college soccer. 
• Cristo Rey’s Girls’ Basketball Team went all the way in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and remained undefeated in the conference tournament. 
• In the spirit of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, the senior class offered more than 2,500 hours of volunteer community service. 

As one of 26 schools in the Cristo Rey Network, Cristo Rey is known as A School That Works. Through an innovative Corporate Work Study Program, every student works one day per week to offset approximately half of the cost of their own education. Currently, 110 companies partner with Cristo Rey to give students from low-income families the opportunity to receive a college-prep education that they otherwise could not afford. 

Cristo Rey is accredited through AdvancEd and promotes rigorous academics, real-world work experience and life-stabilizing values to a diverse population of 381 students from throughout Kansas City’s urban neighborhoods. Congratulations Cristo Rey Class of 2014!