Although COVID-19 has forced the Corporate Work-Study Program to go remote for the time being, HKS remains committed to its partnership with Cristo Rey Dallas, which started in 2016. The nonprofit Catholic high school in the Dallas neighborhood of Pleasant Grove serves a diverse student body whose families have limited financial means. As part of the Corporate Work-Study Program, participating companies in the Dallas area pay Cristo Rey for students’ work to cover part of their annual tuition. HKS pairs students with employees across departments to acquaint them with the design field, along with other areas that may interest them, such as accounting and technology.
The four students assigned to HKS every year come to the office once or twice a week, helping with clerical tasks and other assignments from their supervisors. Executive Assistant Amy Schwiening leads the supervisors and coordinates students’ schedules to help them navigate the firm. While clerical tasks are important, HKS staffers involved in the program gathered a couple of years ago to discuss how to improve students’ learning experiences at work.
Schwiening said she and her colleagues imagined what they would have wanted from such a work-study opportunity in high school, and they agreed that they would have benefited from additional exposure to the many facets of an architectural firm. Architectural Designer Margarita Aguirre developed an architecture syllabus that teaches students how to use Revit and sharpens their spatial reasoning, which they practice on personal projects to build their own portfolios.
“If we don’t invest in these young people, having this opportunity with four students from Cristo Rey, we’re wasting time,” said Aguirre, who works in the sports practice. “Whether they study architecture or not, they’re the future.”
HKS has deepened its participation in Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work-Study Program over the years. In the summer of 2019, the firm hosted a corporate tour for Cristo Rey’s rising freshman class to cap their VIVA orientation program, which teaches kids basic skills to prepare them for the workplace. HKS’ student workers talked to their schoolmates about their workplace experiences, joined by Aguirre, Chief Financial Officer Sam Mudro, and Chief Process Officer Bernita Beikmann, who described their professional journeys.
HKS employees have also participated in panels to share insights with other corporate partners and to talk about the importance of investing in diversity and inclusion initiatives. HKS has volunteered its professional development team to conduct a strengths assessment for Cristo Rey’s freshmen to help them discover their talents. Schwiening also coordinated a school supply drive that raised $2,000 worth of items for Cristo Rey students.
“HKS Dallas has been a partner of Cristo Rey Dallas since 2016, and every year their commitment has grown stronger,” said Lucero Piña, Cristo Rey’s External Partnership Manager.
