Providence Cristo Rey Celebrates 2018 Draft Day Ceremony

One of the most exciting and anticipated days at Providence Cristo Rey happens right as the school year begins.

The 2018 Draft Day Ceremony was held on August 10, 2018 at the University of Indianapolis. Modeled after the NFL Draft, our version of this ceremony is to reveal to all of our students which company they will be working for during the upcoming school year.

All Providence Cristo Rey students work one day each week at one of our 90+ corporate partners. Over the course of four years, they will earn more than 1,000 hours of professional work experience.

New students spend a week and a half preparing for this moment. All new students attend a Corporate Work Study Training Camp, where they brush up on professional and soft skills. They create resumes, practice job interview questions, and research the companies they are interested in.

On the last day of Training Camp, they attend a job fair, where they hand out their resumes and interview with companies like Eli Lilly, Eskenazi Health, and Shiel Sexton. They rank their top choices and the companies do the same. Our Corporate Work Study staff uses this info to help place students in open positions.

Incoming freshman DaJanae Foreman interviewed with a few companies at the job fair, but BKD, an accounting firm, stood out to her. "When they started calling the names for the people that will work for BKD I was so nervous!" said DaJanae. "When they called my name I was very happy. I am excited for my first day of work."

DaJanae Foreman (second from right) with her new Corporate Work Study Partner, BKD

For some of our returning students, this day holds no surprises, but is a fun reunion with a Career Mentor after summer break. Junior Derryck Strode works for Shepherd Insurance.

"I like working with Shepherd because they treat me like an actual employee," said Derryck. "My supervisor, Lisa, has taught me a lot. She gives me good feedback on my work." Derryck and his Career Mentor, Lisa, even planned ahead to wear matching outfits for the event.

Derryck Stode and his supervisor, Lisa, at our 2018 Draft Day

Thank you to all of our wonderful partners for attending this event and making a commitment to transform the lives of our students. Below are a few more of our student and partner pairings from the event!