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Staff Spotlight: Ms. Powers

Cristo Rey Richmond would not be able to educate young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose and service without our dedicated and passionate faculty & staff. In an effort to recognize our educators, we will begin a series of Faculty & Staff Spotlights!

Q: Where are you originally from?
A: Buckingham, VA

Q: What was your favorite subject in high school? And why?
A: Biology. I was interested in medicine and this class helped me to understand a lot about the human body. Plus, my biology teacher Mr. Caldwell was the best!

Q: Where did you go to college? And, what did you study there?
A: I went to Longwood University and majored in Biology/Pre-Med.

Q: What is your favorite part about working at CRR?
A: My favorite part about teaching at CRR is the daily interactions with the students. They have very different backgrounds and often I feel that I learn more from them than they do to me. Its also an amazing opportunity to be a founding faculty member and watch the school evolve.

Q: What does the “Cristo Rey Way” mean to you??
A: The Cristo Rey Way means going above and beyond. It means beating the odds. It means having high standards. It means success for every student. Cristo Rey students are not your typical students. They put in more work, longer hours, and they work one day a week. But, they payoff is major. Students are accepted to the college of their choice and they gain work experience that the average 14 year old is not exposed to. In addition to college readiness and academic/workplace experiences, students at Cristo Rey also leave knowing how to serve their community as servant leaders through experience gained during service days. The Cristo Rey Way puts our students one step ahead.

Q: What is your favorite memory at CRR so far?
A: My favorite memory at CRR has to be the ending of the first day with students in the building. The end of the first day symbolized that we made it- the students made it through the first day as founding students as we made it through the first day as faculty and staff! I knew that the best was yet to come!

Q: Who is your biggest mentor and/or inspires you? Why? A:My biggest mentor in the field of education has to be my 10th grade Biology teacher, Mr. Caldwell. He was first person who really made me love science. We actually worked together in the science department at Buckingham County High School for 11 years. He always told me that students are emotional learners and if we can make a connection with a student we can teach them anything. It was the best teaching advice I’ve ever received. We still keep in touch to this day.

Q: What advice do you have for CRR students as they continue to focus on getting to and through college?
A: Persevere. Tough times are unavoidable. The key to life is to persevere through those tough times and come out stronger and wiser. When facing a challenging class (there will be some), buckle down, reach out to your teachers, find new ways to study, and make it through. When facing tough times outside of the classroom, let your teachers and administration know. We are here to help you and we want you to succeed!

Staff Spotlight: Ms. Wilkerson

Q: Where are you originally from?
A: Little Rock, Arkansas

Q: What was your favorite subject in high school? And why?
A: My favorite subject in high school was English. I always appreciated the different texts and authors that my teachers asked me to interact with. It was through my English classes that I first learned how to analyze texts and take them apart so that I could understand the author’s message and put the ideas of various authors in conversation with each other. This skill was (and still is) absolutely essential for my theological studies.

Q: Where did you go to college? And, what did you study there?
A: I went to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. I studied both Theology and Philosophy as an undergraduate student. I am currently in graduate school and will finish my MTS (Master’s in Theological Studies) in Systematic and Philosophy Theology in the fall of 2020.

Q: What is your favorite part about working at CRR?
A: The students! I have worked at three different Catholic schools, and I have never encountered students who fight for their education the way that our students do here at CRR. I see so many of our students overcoming obstacles everyday and facing circumstances that I never had to face at their age, and yet they still show up to school and put forth their best effort. I am incredibly proud of how hard they work.

Q: What does the “Cristo Rey Way” mean to you??
A: To me, the “Cristo Rey Way” means breaking new ground and overcoming obstacles. We do this not as individuals, but as a community. Being at Cristo Rey, whether as a teacher or student, means working harder than you have ever worked before; and yet, being at Cristo Rey, whether as a teacher or a student, also means being supported as you have never been supported before. That sense of work ethic and community is the “Cristo Rey Way.”

Q: What is your favorite memory at CRR so far?
A: Not long before the school had to move online due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the students did their first Socratic seminar discussion in Religion class. In all of the class periods, I was amazed at how well the students were able to articulate their analysis of the Scripture passages that had been assigned for the discussion, and I was equally impressed by their ability to critique each other’s ideas with kindness and thoughtfulness. It was a great thing to see!

Q: Who is your biggest mentor and/or inspires you? Why? A:My advisor from my undergraduate program has consistently pushed me, both when I was a student at Saint Vincent and when I graduated. It has been 4 years since I moved on from college, and yet I still hear from my advisor frequently. I once took a class that my advisor taught on Johannine Literature, and the final paper for the class was an exegetical paper (meaning that each student had to choose a passage from the Gospel of John and then analyze each aspect of the passage, “dissect” the passage, and then figure out how the message of that one passage fit into the rest of the Gospel account). When I got my paper back, I saw that my advisor had written a note on the final page, telling me how outstanding the paper was. The last line of the note struck me: “You should do this for a living!” I still have that paper and the note, and it motivates me to keep trying even when I feel like a failure.

Q: What advice do you have for CRR students as they continue to focus on getting to and through college?
A: Keep going! I think that’s the toughest thing, honestly. You are going to face challenges and seemingly insurmountable tasks, but you can’t stop. You have to keep pushing forward, no matter what.