On April 8, 2019, Cristo Rey students participated in their first "Ignatian Social Justice Tournament" an annual event in which Jesuit high schools across and beyond the city each give a presentation on why their charity of choice deserves the grand prize of $20,000. Second place finishers earn 15,000 and all participants get 10,000. (It's basically the Jesuit version of Shark Tank).
The Justice League chose LSA Family Health Services and they prepared a presentation for the event. On the night of the tournament, they had their chance to make their case and they did a remarkable job, speaking beautifully about LSA's work and answering questions on how much good can come from the monetary support. In the crowd of participants that included Fordham Prep, Xavier, Loyola, and other prestigious prep schools, it was overwhelmingly evident that Cristo Rey was the best. Our team consisted of Juniors Leslie Hernandez, Noelia Garcia, and Mamadou Samba, and Seniors Cezanne Henriquez and Nathanael Hinds. They were the clear stars of the night and their Cinderella story ended with them being unanimously crowned champions, worthy recipients of the $20,000 prize - money that will go directly to funding a culturally responsive program for under-served kids right here in East Harlem. We were so good they gave us an extra $10,000, making the total to be $30,000! How awesome is that!
