Cristo Rey College Prep allows students to work in their desired career field while still in high school.
DALLAS — Pleasant Grove is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Dallas. That’s why going to school at Cristo Rey College Prep can open doors.
Thanks to Cristo Rey, 16-year-old Alondra Trevizo says her dreams were coming true until she walked through a new door.
As part of the school’s curriculum, one day a week students go to work. They hold a job off-campus that’s tailored to their future career. So Trevizo, an aspiring pediatrician, was sent into the medical field only to feel like she’d ended up in left field.
Instead of tending to kids and babies, she now works with seniors. What on Earth could they have in common?
“We’re in like very separate timelines,” Trevizo said.
Since last semester, Trevizo has worked alongside the physical therapist at Presbyterian Village North in Dallas. She said, at first, their interactions were… interesting, but eventually she quit seeing it as a job and saw it as an opportunity.
Whether putting them to work during physical therapy or helping them relax with a game of chess, these generational opposites began pouring into each other.
“Youngsters,” said Presbyterian resident Will Baker. “That gives me energy just to begin with. You learn something every day.”
“Now I see them in a different way, Trevizo said. “I guess I really liked their personalities. They’ve given me a lot of wisdom throughout the months.”
Trevizo said as she got more comfortable, she opened up. Eventually, patients became friends and once that happened, this high school junior fell for these seniors.
“I really liked my experience here so far so that’s why I changed my mind,” she said. “I actually decided to work with seniors instead.”
That’s right. The would-be baby doctor is now a soon-to-be geriatric doctor. Trevizo said building these relationships altered her dream and she couldn’t be more excited for the future.
“I know this opportunity isn’t given to a lot of kids and I just want to take it,” she said.
Take it and run with it, a guaranteed way to change your life.