Education and Work Experience Provide a Brighter Future for Urban Youth
For more than a decade, SPS Commerce has partnered with Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis. Through Cristo Rey Corporate Work Study Program, SPS provides students with high quality education coupled with hands-on work experience. SPS employs Cristo Rey student interns every school year. They spend one day working at its downtown headquarters and the remaining four days at the high school in the classroom.
The interns are integral part of SPS and experience a variety of departments, including human resources, finance, corporate services and technology. Each student is assigned a mentor and works alongside SPS staff who encourage them to use the education, community and job skills from their time at Cristo Rey and SPS to open a new chapter for their future.
Cristo Rey provides college preparatory high school education to young people who live in urban communities with limited educational options. The school delivers a powerful and innovative approach to inner-city education that equips students from families of limited economic means with the knowledge, character, and skills to transform their lives. The impact is evident: Cristo Rey students are three times more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree by age 24, compared to the total U.S. low-income population.
To date, SPS has employed 34 students including six interns for the 2020-2021 school year.