“In the brief time we have been open, I’ve seen fourteen-year-olds who never traveled outside their neighborhood learn how to handle themselves in a business environment—they go to offices where they file, answer phones, call customers directly, do competitive product research, even help deliver babies (that was an exciting de-briefing), and in short, make themselves valuable contributors to their employers’ businesses and learn first-hand what it means to ‘succeed in the real world.’ In return, they energize these workplaces with their enthusiasm and determination to make good. This is work-school connecting on a uniquely personal level. Our corporate sponsors are happy to teach what they know and our students and their families see that they CAN earn a better future—if they work hard. I’ve never seen anything so intrinsically American as this Cristo Rey model. If our students work hard, every person at their school and workplace will do what it takes to make sure they succeed.” - Mike Khoury, Detroit Cristo Rey High School President