LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College recently received the Schools’ Choice Award for Outstanding Cristo Rey Network (CRN) University Partner during the annual Cristo Rey Summit on College Success in St. Louis.
SVC partnered with CRN—a national network of Catholic college preparatory high schools—in 2021. The partnership seeks to support outstanding postsecondary outcomes for highly motivated and well-prepared Cristo Rey alumni, helping to advance the Cristo Rey mission of “transforming urban America one student at a time.”
Selected by 40 Cristo Rey schools across 24 states, this award “recognizes the University Partner that has made a significant impact on students and schools through deep engagement, generous financial aid support and meaningful college access opportunities,” CRN officials said. “We are deeply grateful to Saint Vincent College for their unwavering commitment to our mission and for opening doors of opportunity for our students.”
The award was presented July 31 during the two-day summit at Washington University in St. Louis.
“We deeply value our ongoing partnership with the Cristo Rey Network,” said Dr. Dana Winters, vice president for enrollment and student success at the College. “This collaboration not only strengthens Saint Vincent College’s enrollment initiatives but also enriches the experience of our students. Dwight’s leadership in advancing this effort highlights his significant contributions to our office and the broader institution.”
“It was an honor to accept the award on behalf of the College,” said Dwight Collins Jr., C’23, G’25, manager of strategic partnerships at Saint Vincent. “We truly value our Cristo Rey students and our partnership with the network.”
School officials under the Cristo Rey umbrella are asked to list five University Partners that have made a difference for their students.
“Saint Vincent College received the most love from our Cristo Rey community,” said Sonya Ramirez, who serves as director of university partnerships for the Cristo Rey Network. “This recognition is not an accident, but the result of the incredible work [the College is] doing to build relationships with our schools, support our students through the admissions process and provide opportunities with our network to engage with the Saint Vincent College campus.”
Collins, who also serves as the College’s Cristo Rey representative, emphasizes networking at various CRN events. He fosters working relationships with Cristo Rey schools through on-site visits and invitations from the College for open house events and Bearcat basketball games. Ramirez earlier this year accepted an invitation to tour Saint Vincent, where she met recent Cristo Rey alumni now enrolled at the College.
“It was important for her to see the Benedictine hospitality that we give our students, faculty and staff, and to our guests,” Collins said. “I personally wanted her to feel at home and understand that all Cristo Rey students will have this feeling when they come to Saint Vincent.”
At the recent St. Louis summit, Collins connected with additional representatives from Cristo Rey schools who all had the same question: what makes Saint Vincent different from other colleges and universities?
“My response is our Benedictine hallmarks, resources and our community,” Collins said. While the College currently has five Cristo Rey alumni enrolled, once the incoming freshman class arrives, the figure balloons to 16 students. They hail from as close as Philadelphia and Virginia to as far away as Georgia and Florida.
