Heading into senior year, Jonaisy Soto is excited to “finish her senior year strong by taking four advanced placement classes.”  Aspiring to be a dentist, her top college choices are Tufts University and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), and she knew she would need to excel to attain her goals. She recently learned that she was accepted at MCPHS and is waiting to hear from her other college choices.  

Like so many Cristo Rey Boston (CRB) students, Jonaisy’s ultimate college selection will be heavily influenced by her financial aid package, so for now she is keeping all her options open despite being thrilled by her acceptance at MCPHS. Knowing she has the support of CRB staff in finding her best fit college, Jonaisy is letting the process unfold. 

Jonaisy credits the small nurturing CRB community in helping her reach her goals, “CRB has helped me step out my comfort zone. I have always been the type of student to take school very seriously, but I learned to never be afraid to ask questions, and to use my teachers as supports and resources to help me.” 

In reflecting on the challenges of learning remotely in the COVID era, she commented, “I am a very independent student, yet I know I can reach out to any CRB faculty for help- even if they aren't my teacher. I know that teachers are going through a hard time too, but I appreciate that they check up on us to make sure we understand the work and can be successful.” Jonaisy’s family is taking full precautions because her mom has chronic asthma, which means all her learning is remote and she cannot participate in sports as originally planned. Instead, she has been peer tutoring in mathematics, one of her favorite subjects.  

Working at Accenture for her Corporate Work Study Program placement, Jonaisy enjoys the IT work she is assigned. More importantly, she values the relationships she has built and the opportunity to explore a career in IT. However, her focus remains on Dentistry – an interest that is inspired by her love of science. 

Jonaisy is a Catholic Schools Foundation Scholar and would like to thank them for their scholarship support throughout her four years at CRB. She is excited to begin the next leg of her journey in the fall, hopefully living on campus.