During the spring of 2024, the eyes of the sports world were on Detroit for three glorious days when Michigan’s largest city hosted what has become one of the largest sporting events in the world — the NFL draft.
After all of the draft selections had been made, and after all of the thrilling auxiliary events had concluded, more than 775,000 fans — a record for the NFL draft at the time — had gathered in downtown Detroit. Since that time, the draft has moved on to two other cities. And a new attendance record for the event was set this spring in Pittsburgh.
However, on Sept. 1, another "Draft" was held in Detroit less than five miles away from where the 2024 NFL event took place. The venue was Detroit Cristo Rey High School, at 5679 Vernor, within
the West Vernor-Junction Historic District.
And the organizers said they "patterned" their event after the NFL model.
But instead of enormous crowds, Detroit Cristo Rey — opened in 2008 on the campus of the former Holy Redeemer High School — was seeking to make an enormous lasting impact during its first annual Draft Day, as seniors representing the school's 2027 graduating class learned which local employers had selected them for their final year of the school's Corporate Work Study Program.
"Draft Day allowed seniors, students, and faculty to connect and meet our partners and supervisors for the school year," said Detroit Cristo Rey senior Andrea Acevedo, who for one full day each week during the school year will be working for Ideal Group, a family-owned and operated business conglomerate headquartered in southwest Detroit whose specialties include construction services, manufacturing and indirect material management. "It was a surprising experience for some seniors who had no idea where they were going to be placed."
The "surprises" that Acevedo spoke of, in the form of highly anticipated job placements across a variety of industries, were announced in a festive, pep rally-like environment with balloons and signage.
A host of enthusiastic employers added their positive energy to the festivities, including representatives from: Adient, CHASS Clinic, Christian Financial Credit Union, Corewell Health, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, ELBA Labs, GRS Consulting, Henry Ford Healthcare, Holy Redeemer Catholic School, Ideal Group, MCM Staffing, Michigan Humane, MiSide, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Academy, Plastipak Packaging, Rehmann, St. John's Resort, Strategic Staffing Solutions, Walbridge, and the engineering and architectural firm Hubbell Roth & Clark.
And on a historic day at a Catholic high school, where every member of every graduating class has received acceptance to a college or university, it was only fitting that Detroit's automotive history also was represented, which was the case through the participation of General Motors.
"Detroit Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program gives students real-world professional experience and a strong foundation for the future," Matthew Creegan, director of Media Relations for General Motors, stated. "GM is proud to welcome 15 new high-school seniors to our cohort, whose growth reflects our long-standing commitment to Detroit's young people and communities."
For Bill McGrail, Draft Day was part of an exhilarating nine-month journey combining education and community support that he has been on since becoming the president of Detroit Cristo Rey High School on Jan. 5.
"Draft Day exceeded our expectations,” said McGrail, a 1988 graduate of University of Detroit Jesuit High School who today leads a school that is part of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools across the country integrating four years of college-preparatory academics with four years of professional work experience through the Corporate Work Program.
“Watching our seniors hear their names called and celebrate their placements with leading organizations across metro Detroit was a powerful reminder of the opportunities our Corporate Work Study program creates," he said. "These partnerships give students real-world experience, professional confidence and a clearer path to success in college and beyond."
In organizing the school's first Draft Day, McGrail leaned heavily on Brittany Lovin, director of operations and training for Detroit Cristo Rey's Corporate Work Study Program, who says her work is a labor of love.
"Draft Day represents what makes our program so successful — the partnership between our students, our school and the organizations and businesses that invest in their futures," Lovin said. "For our seniors, it marked the beginning of their final chapter at Detroit Cristo Rey, a culmination of years of work experience and professional growth. And for our partners, it's a chance to see the impact of their investment not only in our program, but also in the lives and futures of our students as many of them welcomed back their students.
"It's incredibly encouraging for our underclassmen and school community to see the support our partners have for our students in action. We can't wait to see what our young people do over the next several years!"
On the afternoon of Sept. 10, voices outside of Detroit Cristo Rey with expertise in education-related programs agreed with McGrail and Lovin that the full impact of Cristo Rey's Draft Day will not be realized until many years down the road.
"Research on internships suggests that participants tend to have higher career retention rates and lower long-term unemployment than their peers," said Julie Durham, director of community and economic development at Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants, an independent, nonpartisan public policy consulting firm. "Among high school students specifically, internship participation is linked to gains in academic achievement and social-emotional indicators like confidence and self-efficacy.
"The Corporate Work Study Program at Cristo Rey folds both effects into a single structure, since students hold real jobs with local employers for four consecutive years rather than a single summer. That sustained exposure goes a long way in building workplace competence tied to later career stability, while also reinforcing confidence and academic engagement."
Durham's statement was echoed by Dr. Lee Meadows, a leadership development consultant and former professor of management at Walsh College, who also has been a human resources supervisor for General Motors and manager of Training and Development for the Kellogg Foundation.
A Detroit native, Meadows says he can still see himself in the students that attend Detroit Cristo Rey High School, which in the "Cristo Rey model" is committed to serving students with limited economic resources in Detroit.
"They're in Southwest Detroit and I'm from Detroit's North End; that's not an indictment, but it shows the importance of having opportunities to expand your world," said Meadows, a 1969 graduate of Detroit's Northern High School. "The North End was all I knew until I got to Michigan State University. But these young people are in a position to widen their worlds while receiving work experience, mentors and future sponsors, and supporters. Any program that allows high school students to get even a slither of this type of an experience puts the students light years ahead of those that don't have this opportunity.
"And I applaud all of the companies, nonprofits and neighborhood corner stores that are making opportunities for the Cristo Rey students so that they're not playing catch-up later. We're talking about something that is life changing with short and long-term impact."
“The School That Works”
What: Detroit Cristo Rey High School, 5679 Vernor
Mission: Detroit Cristo Rey High School provides a college-preparatory Catholic high school education, in the Cristo Rey model, to students with limited economic resources in Detroit. The school emphasizes faith, morals and service to the community. Through its Corporate Work Study Program, the school fosters skills and attitudes important in the workplace, including “responsibility, determination and respect for self and others.”
On Sept. 1, the school held its first annual Draft Day, where students from the senior class were "drafted" by local employers where the student will work one day each week during the school year. The following list shows the participating Draft Day employers and the Detroit Cristo Rey students they selected on Draft Day. Adient: Exal Lopez, Matthew Nanez. CHASS Clinic: Yeratzy Alvarado. Christian Financial Credit Union: Camila Ramirez. Corewell Health: Karina Torres, Fernanda Castaneda, Evelyn Fleites-Pena, Katlia Claro, Esbeidy Vargas. Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network: Christina Esquivel. Elba Labs: Maria Hernandez-Angel. General Motors: Victor Peralta, Lazara Diaz-Juarez, Joshua Magana, Emmanuel Zamudio, Roberto Juarez, Karla Abad Flores, Miguel Reyna, Gael Ramirez, Santiago Franco Garcia, Alison Banda, Anthony Perez Bartolon, Kniya Suber-Robinson, Tristan Roberts, Alejandro Villagomez, Mariel Botello. GRS Consulting: William Bazan-Vazquez. Henry Ford Healthcare: Camila Garcia, Mariella Rodriguez, Karyme Torres, Genesis Gutierreez, Mariana Villa, Yriana Zuniga, Raquel Cruz Fox. Holy Redeemer Catholic School: Kimberly Garcia-Garcia. Hubbell, Roth and Clark: Jocelyn Martinez. Ideal Group: Jose-Eduardo Orozco, Andrea Acevedo. MCM Staffing: Natali Hernandez. Michigan Humane: Andrew Jorge-Ochoa. MiSide: Melissa Hernandez, Valentinna Lugo, Giselle Villanueva. Most Holy Trinity Catholic Academy: Ruth Lagos, Isaiah Newman. Plastipak Packaging: Amanda Garcia, Heidi Magdaleno. St. John's Resort: Airam Camarena Rios. Rehmann: Paulina Moran Sanchez. Strategic Staffing Solutions: Natalie Garcia-Palacios. Walbridge: Joshua Martin
Learn more: Please visit https://detroitcristorey.org
Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at stalley@freepress.com. Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/. Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why this high-achieving school brought the 'Draft' back to Detroit
