Cristo Rey Fort Worth recently held its “Celebrating Milestones” banquet to honor corporate partners and graduating seniors. Cristo Rey offers college-preparatory education to students in communities with limited educational options. A key tenet is the work-study program, in which each student is matched with a corporate partner to gain real job experience. During the banquet, Monica Collins, JTaylor’s Director of Operations, received the “Outstanding Supervisor Award” after being nominated by two work-study students who have spent the last four years with JTaylor.

JTaylor has partnered with Cristo Rey since 2019, sponsoring eight students during the 2022-2023 school year. Seniors Emily Moreno and Miguel Castro have worked with JTaylor since their freshman year, performing a variety of tasks and learning from both our administrative and professional staff. Monica has served as the firm’s coordinator for this program, and her efforts clearly resonated with the students who work with us. Emily and Miguel each spoke at the banquet to describe why Monica was deserving of this honor.

Emily said that Monica “makes sure that every day, whoever comes through the door feels welcomed, loved, and connected.” She went on to say that “Monica has definitely gone out of her way to show me the definition of family.” She offered as an example a heartwarming story about the day Monica took her to have her prom dress fitted “so it could be perfect, just because she wanted me to feel beautiful that day.”

According to Miguel, “I’ll forever be grateful that Monica had a vision for us four years ago, and believed in me and the other students.” He added that “I don’t believe I’d be the same person if it wasn’t for the guidance she’s given me and for all the times she’s pushed me to try new things.” He concluded his remarks by stating that “I’m going to be graduating and going to Texas A&M in the fall, but I know that my biggest fan is back in Fort Worth.”

We at JTaylor see Monica’s servant heart every day, and are delighted that Cristo Rey chose to bestow this award on her. We wish Emily, Miguel, and all the Cristo Rey seniors great success as they graduate and continue on their journey, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Cristo Rey Fort Worth!