October 4, 2017

Preston Kendall, President, Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep

Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep is a Co-Sponsored Ministry of the Society of Holy Child Jesus.

Putting in long hours every day in the classroom, Ariel Filion spent her summer teaching reading and creative journaling to fifth graders through junior students in a Boston school.

“Ms. Ariel,” to her students, the Class of 2015 Cristo Rey St. Martin graduate, is a junior at Colorado College. Her commitment not only to teach but to advocate for marginalized students, drew her to the Generation Teach Summer Fellowship. The program offers talented and diverse young people summer teaching experiences to inspire lifelong careers in urban teaching.

Now in her junior year, Ariel is double majoring in education and Race, Ethnicity and Migration studies. Almost every day, she can be found in the Colorado College’s Student Government Association (CCSGA) office meeting with her fellow executives and student groups. In her second term as Vice President of Finance for CCSGA, the former Schuler Scholar got her start in student government at CRSM and continues to be driven by a desire to support student groups and cultivate community among fellow students, faculty and the school at large.

Ariel is very involved in the college ministry. She says the most important lesson she learned from CRSM is to “use my voice.”

“The small classes at CRSM and teachers who knew my story allowed me to never be afraid to stick up for what I believe in, in or out of the classroom,” she says.