“From day one at Cristo Rey Boston, I felt like a Knight,” says Leander, Class of 2027.

Leander, the oldest of four siblings, felt the weight of leadership from a young age. He cites his father as one of his main role models, teaching him that being a leader means showing compassion to others.

Leander transferred to Cristo Rey Boston as a sophomore, after realizing his previous high school was not a good fit for him. With smaller class sizes, a more diverse community, and rigorous classwork, he “clicked immediately” at CRB.

His experience was not without challenge. In his first few semesters of transitioning to a new school, Leander struggled with his grades. Despite this, his teachers “did not lose faith in him.” He soon developed strong relationships with them, not only improving his grades, but also engaging in intellectual conversations with them outside of class. Through these conversations, Leander realized a passion for psychology, as he enjoyed talking to others and hearing their differing perspectives on the world.

The Corporate Work Study program gave Leander opportunities to exercise his passion for leading people. In his sophomore year, he worked at St. John Paul II Academy, where he built relationships with the younger students and supported staff and faculty. In his junior year, Leander worked with CRB’s CWS staff to create a brand-new position at the Dorchester YMCA. Alongside the YMCA’s athletic director, Leander supported the afterschool program, which he had also participated in when he was younger. “I saw myself in the kids there,” Leander says. “It was nice to give back to a community that was so important to me.” Now in his senior year, Leander works at Planet Fitness, where he greets members at the front desk, and assists members with correct machine usage. Only a couple weeks in, he says his coworkers have made him “feel like family.”

Leander is also a proud Catholic Schools Foundation Guaranteeing Opportunities (GO) Scholar, which provides financial support to an in-need student graduating from a CSF-sponsored school. He says that his values align with the program, as being a GO Scholar motivates him to prioritize always “being there for others,” and living life with empathy. This is evident outside of the classroom, where he continues to volunteer his time at the Dorchester YMCA afterschool program, even after his Corporate Work Study position ended.

Next year, Leander will attend college to study psychology or sports medicine, with the goal of becoming a therapist or physical therapist. Although he is still undecided in his long-term career goals, he wants to prioritize helping people. Through valuable Corporate Work Study opportunities and challenging academics, Cristo Rey Boston helped Leander turn his passion for supporting others into a purpose he can carry with him into college and beyond.