Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School hosted the Rey of Hope Gala at the Delta Flight Museum on February 5. Over 450 corporate partners, donors and supporters came together to raise $830,000 for student scholarships and the school’s College Persistence Program.  

Melissa and Jeff Laue were presenting sponsors of the gala. With more key sponsorships from dedicated supporters and corporate partners, as well as the support of the Host Committee chaired by Susan and PJ Bain, funds raised will allow Alumni Persistence Coaches to visit and assist Cristo Rey Atlanta alumni across the country “to and through” their college careers.

President Camille Naughton noted the success of the College Persistence program. “The entire College Counseling team works to support these students...and their results are astounding. The Class of 2018 is on track to graduate from college at 2x the national average for first-gen students.”  

Honorees for the evening were the members of Cristo Rey Atlanta’s inaugural graduating Class of 2018 and the school’s Founding Corporate Work Study Partners. The Class of 2018 was honored with the Rey of Light Award, recognizing their achievement of being the first class of Cristo Rey Atlanta students to graduate from college. Receiving the award on the behalf of her class was Breanna Moss who became the first ever Cristo Rey Atlanta alumnus to graduate college in December 2021 at Georgia College and State University. 

Breanna noted in her address to the guests, “Cristo Rey taught me to be resilient, to walk into any room with my head held high, to persevere through the storm because it doesn’t make sense to stop in the middle of it…that confidence gets you in the door and hard work keeps you there. But passion, commitment, and support see you through.” 

Mike Cote, retired CEO of Founding Corporate Work Study Partner Secureworks said, “The 2022 Rey of Hope gala was a great party and tremendous success. It is exciting to see the unifying impact of the Atlanta community support to educate young people of limited economic means, of any faith or creed, to become men and women for and with others. This was made ‘real’ as we heard from the first college graduate from Cristo Rey Atlanta with the support of her class in attendance.”  

In addition to Secureworks, forty more Founding Corporate Work Study Partners were honored for their dedication to Cristo Rey Atlanta when the school opened in 2014. Each founding company hired a team of four freshmen through the school’s Corporate Work Study Program, and the impact of their commitment to provide opportunities and mentoring for students is evident now as the first students begin graduating from college.

“We recognize that building workforce skills early can help prepare a young person for long-term success,” said Terri Block, Market Executive, Bank of America Atlanta. “As a founding partner, Bank of America is committed to investing in youth and young adults to strengthen our community, and this gala showcased the significance of this program in Atlanta.” 

Among the many prominent Atlanta leaders in attendance at the gala was Dave Fitzgerald, CEO of Fitzco and Chairman of the Cristo Rey Atlanta Board of Trustees. Mr. Fitzgerald said, “What a spectacular event it was to recognize the first Cristo Rey Atlanta class to graduate college. The gala renewed old friendships with the school and made many, many new ones. It’s impossible not to love this school and its students, and a joy to celebrate their successes.”