DePaul Cristo Rey's work-study program grows, extends opportunity to students

Catholic college preparatory high school DePaul Cristo Rey recently added Fifth Third Bank as the 100th partner in its Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP), the only one of its kind locally that allows students to earn funding for tuition — making the private college prep experience more affordable for all — while gaining on-the-job experience at Cincinnati corporations.
 
"Their work-study experiences contribute enormously to both their academic and personal transformation," says Lisa Claytor, CWSP director. "The CWSP gives them access to a professional world most would otherwise rarely see, much less be able to experience firsthand.”
 
Students who participate in CWSP spend five days each month at their jobs, engaging primarily in clerical work, though some work in the health care industry doing everything from patient transport to pharmacy assistance.
 
"At Fifth Third Bank, our student is working in the commercial sales department, and the vice president to whom she reports wants her to understand the work they do," Claytor says. "They are teaching her the language, expectations and tasks of the accounting/finance/banking environment.”
 
The perks of the program are invaluable, offering both tangible and intangible benefits, according to Sister Jeanne Bessette, president of the school.
 
"From a practical standpoint, by working five days a month these young people are paying part of the cost of their own education," Bessette says. "It is DPCR’s mission to serve those families who seek quality private, college preparatory education for their children but can’t afford other private schools. A DPCR education is available to these students because their CWSP earnings are helping pay their own education costs.”
 
And the intangible benefits, Claytor says, are also "enormous."
 
"Through the CWSP, they gain professional skills and confidence while developing their time management, interpersonal and communication skills in a real work environment," Claytor says. "Equally important, they are working with professionals who are role models and mentors. Exposure to diverse work settings and jobs opens students’ eyes to possible career paths. It also contributes to the importance DPCR strives to instill in them to complete college and join the professional world.”
 
Do Good:

• Contact Lisa Claytor if your company is interested in signing on as a corporate partner in DePaul Cristo Rey's Corporate Work Study Program.

• Support DePaul Cristo Rey by giving.

• Learn about volunteer opportunities at the school, which is located at 1133 Clifton Hills Ave. at Central Parkway.