Banking on KC – Claudia Meyer of Cristo Rey KC: Creating Pathways to College and Career
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Kelly Scanlon: Welcome to Banking on KC. I'm your host, Kelly Scanlon. Thank you for joining us. With us on this episode is Claudia Meyer, the president of Cristo Rey, Kansas City, a Catholic high school that provides a college and career preparatory education to culturally diverse students with economic need. Welcome, Claudia.
Claudia Meyer: Thank you for having me.
Kelly Scanlon: So happy to have you here talking about Cristo Rey. It's a. Catholic Prep High School. There are many other college-prep high schools out there. How is Cristo Rey unique in its mission to serve this population?
Claudia Meyer: I believe Cristo Rey is unique in so many different ways, but having the uh, corporate work study program is something that sets us apart.
Our mission is to. Provide a college career in preparation for our students, but also preparing them for what's after high school.
Kelly Scanlon: You mentioned the corporate work study program, which we're gonna be talking much more about, but what better way to actually provide that workforce preparation than to embed students in local companies?
Claudia Meyer: 100%. You know, I think that is one of the reasons that drew me to Cristo Rey is because as a young woman, I would've loved the chance to be able to work. In high school, I think we are doing education in a completely different way and very innovative with those components that really make education very relevant to the secondary, uh, plans of our students.
Kelly Scanlon: Let's just dive right into that, then. Now that you've brought the work study program up, how do you mesh or integrate the, uh, work study that a student is doing with what's going on in the classroom with their academic curriculum?
Claudia Meyer: Absolutely. So, before our students go into the, the workforce, at the beginning of the school year, we give them a survey to see where their interests are.
We wanna develop their talents right in those areas. So our students, uh, go to work one day a week and we try to match up to those when we. Pair them with a corporate organization or organization, we try to make sure that it's something lined up with they wanna do after high school. Mm-hmm. And, um, oftentimes you see their interest being in medical field or in legal field.
And so we try to make sure that, um, whatever we are providing for our students. In regards to curriculum aligns with their interests as well. We cannot make it one-on-one, however, we really try to focus on those areas to make sure that, uh, our elective classes are lined up with, with their interests as well.
Kelly Scanlon: So I can't tell you how many, uh, students I have heard say, I wanna go into the medical field or some other field. You just name it. And then, you know, they spend their time, they get their college degree, they have their law degree, whatever's, and then they hate it. They absolutely hate it.
Claudia Meyer: And so here they get a chance to preview it.
Yeah. Not only it gives you a chance to see what are the things that you want to experience, but it also lets you experience certain things and decide, oh, this is not for me. Right. You'll realize that maybe that career path is not the one that you were choosing, so it gives you a chance to preview these things before making that.
College investment, that decision? Yes.
Kelly Scanlon: You mentioned the companies that you work with. A Country Club Bank is, is one of those companies and has been for a long time that, you know, plays these companies play a significant role in that, uh, work study, the corporate work study program. How do those partnerships enhance student learning and contribute to their professional development?
And conversely, what do the corporate partners benefit from?
Claudia Meyer: Yeah, there, there is, um. Several different ways that I can answer this. You know, uh, Country Club Bank has been one of our partners since inception, so their belief in our mission has been critical to our success, the impact that they make on our students' lives and our school and our community.
The mission is just tremendous. And all these corporations, these organizations understand that in order for Cristo rate to work, it is part of our, um, financial model that we need to have the support and they come in big time for us. So this is one way that they help out. On the other side is providing the mentorship for our students.
Our students come from backgrounds where they are not exposed to these types of environments in the workplace. So for them to come in and see what is happening in the world, the mentorship that they are offering, you know, numerous times the leadership of this bank has gone to our students and talked to them.
So they are talking, they're building their network that otherwise would not have been possible for them with, leaders in our city and understanding that they too can have a seat at the table. They, too, have these opportunities. So that's the key right there. It's really opening that. And then a third thing that I would add is creating a workforce development pipeline for our city.
Country Club Bank, for example, employs our kids in the summer. Yes, they do. Yeah. They employ your kids after college. So that is a continuation of a program that does not end when they graduate. That does not end in their summers, but is continuous, it's a lifelong commitment from our companies and it's something that we can be more grateful for.
Kansas City steps up big time and without the support of our. Corporate partners, we would not be possible.
Kelly Scanlon: You just completed one of your biggest, maybe the biggest event of the year, which is Dancing with the KC Stars, where a lot of small businesses and corporations get involved in that program. Tell us a little bit about Dancing With the Stars.
And about this past year's event, some of the highlights perhaps.
Claudia Meyer: Absolutely. So Dancing with the Kansas City Stars is our signature fundraising event, so you're right, it is the biggest one that we host every year in which we ask eight top-level executives in Kansas City to dance for a cause. And the cause is to raise money for Chris Raise scholarship.
This past year was a 19th year. We had eight dancers in. A phenomenal performance. It is not a dancing competition, however, sort of turns into a dancing competition. Oh yeah. But they're top-level executives. They're competitive. They want, they want that. It's a fundraising in which each dancer. Brings their families, brings their connections, brings their network, and invites those sales tables.
And I am very happy to say that we made, uh, we beat our goal of 800,000 and we meet, we are at $900,000 for the year. So Oh, that is wonderful. Is that, that 1 million is backing for next year? Oh, it's coming. It's coming. It's coming. And, um, yeah, so next year is our 20th anniversary. Oh, wow. Yes. The t anniversary of Dancing with the Kansas City Stars.
And we, we are, we are coming for it. It's gonna be a great event. It's gonna be over the top and many, many wonderful things are getting ready to, to line up for it.
Kelly Scanlon: So yeah, let's go back to the curriculum and, and the work study. Within the work study programs, what are some of the opportunities that these students get?
And I, I'm not talking about uh, the fact that they get the mentors and so forth, but what is some of the hands on? A lot of times in a program, a company will say, sure, somebody can come intern with us. And then the. Experience, honestly isn't quite that great because they give them just stuff that doesn't matter, uh, to be honest with you.
And so talk to us about some of the real things they get to do in these businesses. If you can give examples. Yeah.
Claudia Meyer: Yeah. I can give you an example right now. Um, I can actually too, right off my head. I was at a lunch with a company last week and they invited me to have lunch with their two seniors there.
It was their last day on the job. One of the supervisors asked the seniors to speak on what their college plans are and how they're feeling about being seniors and graduation. And if the, she asked if they were nervous and what, uh, they were nervous about. And one of the seniors, and this kind of gave me the chills, stood up and said, I'm not nervous.
I wanna be a project manager for a construction company. I have gained the experience that I needed here. I have seen people, I have talked to people, I have asked questions, and he said, looked at his supervisors and said, so I know when I get outta college. I will have a job. Mm-hmm. Right. And they looked at him and they said, absolutely too.
You know, and, and he's, he's saying these things because it allowed him the opportunity to ask questions about, the job has asked, has given him the opportunity to observe other project managers, so now he knows what they do. The other one was, I was coming into Chris Rios my first year as president and I was speaking with a, a group of seniors.
I wanted to know what it's like for them as a new president. To be a student at Cristo Re and I interviewed this young lady, and I often tell this story because it was really powerful and impactful for me. She said, okay, I'll share with you what it's like to be a Cristo Re student. And she said, when I first started here at Cristo Re I was excited about my job.
And I said, okay, tell me more. She said, I. I went to my job my first day and I went to the bathroom and I cried for 30 minutes. I said, okay, you know, explain to me a little bit more. So through these conversations, I came to find out that she had never left her neighborhood before. Never left the neighborhood.
How impactful is that and. She told me that when she walked into the building, the building was so beautiful that it evoked this emotion in her and she didn't know how to react. She went to the bathroom and she cried for 30 minutes. I asked her, I said, okay, how did you deal with that? She goes, I was brave.
I stepped out of the restroom and I went to meet my supervisor, but she said every day I walked into that building, I felt something in me just move. But what really kind of changed, uh, in me in this experience talking to her was what she said after she said, but now, Ms. Meyer, if I am not in my law firm every day, the lawyers don't know what to do without me.
And I know that the lawyers know what to do without her, but it was the way they made her feel. Yes. It was the experience that they provided for her to. See herself as somebody so important in that firm. Right. You know, and, uh, she was graduating her freshman year. She was accepted at the UMKC Accelerated Law Program, uh, the six-year program.
And Kelly is gonna graduate law school with a network of people that are behind her, checking in on her, whether she goes to work for the law firm or not. She has the mentorship and the guidance that she would like not have. She does. And that's the beauty of Cristo Rey, is those long-term relationships that.
Not only giving back to the school in a way to fund these kids' education, but also giving back to in mentorship and also in the, in the work pipeline that we have here. How does Cristo RA define and measure long-term success? Before I took over, um, our mission was changed to career in prep education and, uh, college and career prep education.
And we focus on the college track very well. But now we're expanding to career tracks, so we are trying to make sure that. Every student that's there has an opportunity. Our principal says this all the time, and I think it's beautiful the way she says. Our job is to make sure when they leave Chris Ray, that five doors are open for them and whether they, when they choose to go to school or they choose to go to work, that whatever job that they're going to, whatever career path that they choose, is one that will allow them to make great decisions for their future.
And even if they don't go to college right away, that they will. Have the means to not be burdened with student loans. That they will have the skills to make sure that if they choose to go to college, they will have the capability of earning the money for that.
Kelly Scanlon: And, and that is a great point because that's not always recognized in programs.
It is measured by the college admission rate. And that is their, their biggest factor and sometimes their soul factor. And the fact that you recognize that some people are. Um, happiest and, and their skills are more suited to other things, and there's great money to be made in some of these fields and to encourage that.
Claudia Meyer: And that is, yeah. It doesn't mean that they're not gonna go to college, just means that they'll have skills that if they want to go to college, they don't, they know how to pay for. So that's one of the things that we're trying to support and really develop a great. Pathway for that. Our school opened up in 2006 and the way the Chris Array network, um, in order for you to be part of the Chris Array network, you have to have the corporate work study program because it is part of our financial model and also be sponsored by a religious organization.
And we are so blessed to have the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth as our sponsor. Without them, this would not be possible. I just wanna make sure that I say this, that from the bottom of my heart. They're always looking to make others' lives better, and I am deeply grateful for that.
Kelly Scanlon: It sounds like there's opportunity for everyone, whether they decide to go on to college or not, but as I mentioned, you have a really high college graduation rate, so talk with us about that.
Claudia Meyer: Every Cristo Rey student, when they graduate as seniors, they have to be accepted into five colleges or universities. They have to be because we want those options there for them, whether they choose to take it or not. Looking at data, now we wanna make sure that we are. Following through and filling the gaps, or are we supporting the kids when they go to college?
Uh, are we giving them that extra incentive to just kind of keep going? And our college graduating class rate right now is about 78%. Yeah. Yeah. It's very high. And we are very proud of that fact. And we, we wanna continue to expand that.
Kelly Scanlon: Let's talk about you. Your personal journey has taken you from Brazil.
To where you're at now, where you are the first Latina president and CEO of Cristo Rey, Kansas City, uh, what personal experiences have most significantly influenced that journey, and importantly, your commitment to educational quality.
Claudia Meyer: Yes.
Came here from Brazil when I was 15 with my family. My dad came here to get his PhD in electrical engineering and, uh, it was at the University of Missouri-Rolla, which is now called Missouri S&T
Um. Moved here with my mom and dad, my brothers and sisters. I was the oldest of four and we did not speak a word of English. So, um, and at what a transformational age.
Kelly Scanlon: Age 15. That's a difficult age. Kind of tough.
Claudia Meyer: Yeah, it's, you're right. It's a difficult age.
Kelly Scanlon: In great circumstances, much less. Yes.
Claudia Meyer: But you know, my parents, um.
And I say this all the time, they're the bravest people that I know. They, my dad, saw an opportunity for us to explore a different culture, learn a different language, and be exposed to different things that otherwise we would not have in our country. And so for this, I am eternally grateful for this country, for the people who have.
Lifted me up, have mentored me and have, um, really show us that anything is possible. So for me, this is what I want to provide for our kids at Kristo Ray. I want them to see that there is always going to be barriers. There are always going to be obstacles in life, but when you look at them as challenges and opportunities, it becomes.
Something that can also be very inspiring. Mm-hmm. And, and when you know that you overcame a challenge or where you, you know, kicked barriers outta your way, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Yes. But you can't do it alone. Right? Right. You have to have a good tribe, a good, good team behind you.
And so I want our kids to see that. I want our kids to see me not learning The language did not stop me from getting an education. Me not learning a language did not. Stop me from being a leader in our city, in our school, and, and beyond. And I want to serve as an example all the time. I want to make sure that they have that.
Um. Visual in front of them.
Kelly Scanlon: One of the things we haven't talked about is the size of the high school. How many per class, how many students do you teach?
Claudia Meyer: So right now we have a graduating class that will be graduating May 16th. It's 40 and we are bringing in a class of 80 freshmen. Oh my. So yes, yes. So a big demand huge.
Are expand. Absolutely. It is a mission that our parents really align with because not only we are providing this. Top-notch Catholic private education, but it also comes with that faith formation with. Core values, we lead with our core values and our parents are really looking for that. Right now, our numbers are growing, uh, bringing in 80 freshmen.
We right now have about 240 students at our school. According to our strategic plan that we just implemented last, uh, June. We wanna make sure that by 2028 we have about 300, 310 students in our building. We don't wanna grow any bigger than that because of our corporate work study program demands for jobs that we need to find and also we wanna.
Stay very intentional to our mission, which is to help students be the most successful they can possibly be.
Kelly Scanlon: Do you have counterparts in other cities? And if not, or, or even if you do, um, is this a model that you could, when we talk about expansion, that you could take into other communities?
Claudia Meyer: Yes. So it is, uh, a model that has been taken into communities, right?
So we are 41 schools now throughout the United States. And so you're part of a larger, we are part of a larger network and um, it is really important to have the network for the simple fact. That what I'm doing, what our principal's doing, what our teachers are doing, what our students are doing is very unique.
It's not done anywhere else in the state of Missouri. So to have those partners in other states doing the same thing, we not only have the academic, like a regular school, but we also have the corporate work study component. We have the fundraising component, we have the business component. So there's many different wheels running at the same time, right?
Yes. So we have to make sure that the communications there, that the. Processes and procedures are in place. And so this is something that we've been working really hard to solidify in our strategic plan so that we have metrics and we have goals that we're hitting. And, um, we have some huge goals that we want to accomplish because excellence is what we're aiming for.
We want to be the best high school in the state of Missouri. We have big goals, big dreams, and I really truly believe that we can achieve that. And with the right staff, with the right team, um, we are, we are gunning for it.
Kelly Scanlon: It strikes me that with some of the, the growth goals that you have, that this network, uh, this broader network throughout the country, you probably share best practices all the time.
Claudia Meyer: Yes, we have. We have meetings, we have retreats, we have, um, support resources available. Not only for our students, our staff, but also for our graduates. You know, when they graduate, uh, Cristo Rey does not stop there. We have an alumni coordinator that follows our students checks in with them because a lot of them are first generation and they have not had the opportunity to see others graduate before them.
They don't know what to expect when you get to a college campus. So having that one person dedicated to just kind of checking in on them, what kind of supports do you need? Do you need as a tutor, how do I help you? Achieve that. How, let me, let me see where I can guide. Just being somebody there to be guidance for them is, is huge.
Yeah.
Kelly Scanlon: Why do you think that Cristo Rey has worked so well in Kansas City?
Claudia Meyer: Um, I would say that it is the way that the mission is embraced by our corporate partners, by our donors, by our sisters. There's so many people that help. Create this environment that anything is possible for our students, not only with their talents, but their treasures, their support, their mentorship.
So one thing that I would like to say is gratitude. You know, we have gratitude for all of them because without them, this would not be possible.
Kelly Scanlon: You mentioned the Dancing With the Stars, obviously, uh, you have corporate partners who employ your students. Besides those two things, are there other ways that listeners who think.
I'd love to get involved some way. Perhaps they're just an individual, they don't have a job to give a student, but they're an individual. Uh, how, what's the best way to do that? What are some of the opportunities?
Claudia Meyer: Yes. There, there are many opportunities. You know, we need mentors, we need tutors, we need people who will want to sponsor a scholarship.
And, uh, it takes $20,000. First student for a year to to be educated. So we're always needing those donations, those contributions. Please call the school, check our website, figure out a way to contact us, and let's talk. Let's sit down. Let's give you a tour. I guarantee you when you walk into the halls of Cristo Rey, you'll be moved and you will see the students.
You feel the magic that happens in those hallways all the time, and you will want to, to participate in. One way or the other.
Kelly Scanlon: And that website is Cristo Rey KC dot org, CRISTOREYKC.org. Claudia, thank you so much for coming in and sharing this message, and thank you for all you do for the educational quality that these students receive.
So thank you so much for doing that.
Claudia Meyer: Thank you. And thank you to Country Club Bank for being such wonderful supporters. It is people like that and organizations like that that we need behind us. So thank you for that.
Joe Close: This is Joe Close, president of Country Club Bank. Thank you to Claudia Meyer, president of Cristo Rey, Kansas City for being our guest on this episode of Banking on KC I. Cristo Rey blends rigorous academics with a corporate work study program to redefine educational opportunity for students with economic need.
Claudia's leadership and the school's holistic approach helps students graduate with confidence, real world experience, and a powerful support network. Claudia's leadership and the school's holistic approach helps students graduate with confidence, real world experience, and a powerful support network.
Claudia's own story and the stories of Cristo Rey students remind us of the elastic impact that community partnerships and mentorship can have on future generations. At Country Club Bank, we're proud to be a longtime corporate partner of Kristo Ray. Supporting student internships and fostering mentorship opportunities reflects our belief in the power of education to create a stronger, more inclusive Kansas City.
Thanks for tuning in this week we're Banking on you, Kansas City. Country Club Bank, member FDIC.