ATLANTA (September 25, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce its partnership with Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) for the 2023-2024 school year. This is the ninth year SGR has partnered with the program which helps students envision a future that includes a college degree and a successful professional career and equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to realize that vision. SGR is one of more than 130 companies taking part in the CWSP.
Through the innovative CWSP, students work five full days a month at top local businesses, called Job Partners, in a job share with three other students. Announced at a “Draft Day” event, students are assigned to their job sites by the CWSP staff at the start of each school year, with consideration to students’ particular interests and skills, and the requirements of the Job Partner.
The earnings from the job share pay for a large percentage of each student’s tuition costs, giving them access to a rigorous, quality college preparatory education that otherwise would be too expensive. Cristo Rey students also gain valuable real-world job skills, contacts, and experience through this program, and go on to college in record numbers, in large part because of their early exposure to the working world.
Cristo Rey Atlanta welcomed its first freshman class of 160 students in August 2014, and those students became the first graduating class in May 2018. The four-year high school has more than 480 students in grades 9-12 and boasts a 100% college acceptance rate.
Stephen Forte, SGR chairman and managing partner, continues to serve on Cristo Rey Atlanta’s Board of Trustees.
About Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School
Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School is a Catholic learning community that educates young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose, and service. Through a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, integrated with a relevant work study experience, students graduate prepared for college and life. Cristo Rey Atlanta is part of the Cristo Rey Network®. Visit www.cristoreyatlanta.org for more information.
About Smith Gambrell Russell
SGR is a full-service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The Firm’s nearly 400 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 50 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, insurance/reinsurance, construction, employment law, international, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Founded in 1893, SGR has 14 domestic and international offices, including Atlanta; Austin; Charlotte; Chicago; Jacksonville, FL; London; Los Angeles; Miami; Munich; New York; Southampton; Springfield, IL; Tampa, FL; and Washington, D.C.