Unlike many of our young employees who began their careers straight out of law school or college, 17-year-old Juan Taveras already has three and a half years of law firm experience under his belt — certainly an edge that most seniors in high school can't brag about.

He is just one of the eight bright and ambitious students from Cristo Rey New York High School who come to work at the New York office five days a month.  As participants in the Corporate Work Study Program, Juan and his schoolmates — Valerie Felix, Daniel Guerrero, Mykaella Rhame, Wilson Moran, Grenny Frias, Maria Calderon and Jaqueline Garcia — are given the opportunity to gain valuable on-the-job work experience while earning money towards their high school tuition.

Juan said, "Working at White & Case has made me realize that I love the business world and I have to strive for greatness and work hard to achieve my goals.  Everyone treats me with respect, especially my supervisor Barbara who is always available and talks with me everyday."

The students rotate among four departments under the supervision of Joann Disanti for the Managing Clerks office, Barbara SooHoo in Finance/Accounting, Ali Iannuzzo in Recruiting/Professional Development and Noreen Condon and James Allen in Human Resources — all of whom were handpicked to act as mentors to these students by Chief Administrative Officer Rick McKenna, who was instrumental in getting the Firm involved with the program nearly four years ago. 

"The decision to participate in the program was a no-brainer," said Rick. "We give students the chance to get exposure to the business world and fund their education in exchange for their work. I think the program has been equally rewarding for the managers who've mentored these students through the years."

For each full-time equivalent position, White & Case pays $27,500 to Cristo Rey.  This payment helps keep tuition under $2,000 a year, which is important because all of the students at the East Harlem school come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Former White & Case associate James Wilson, now the Director of Cristo Rey's Corporate Work Study Program, remarked, "The program puts students in environments with great role models and teaches them that working hard and going to college can help them get ahead. It's been an honor to be part of the initial team that brought Cristo Rey to New York City, and I am proud that White & Case was one of the first firms to step up and want to be part of this truly remarkable program."

On November 10, WNBC-TV featured Cristo Rey's Work-Study Program, including a visit to the New York office, where Joann and Grenny, who entered her third year of working at the Firm, were in the spotlight. 

Fondly recalling when Juan first came to work at the Firm his freshman year, Rick said "This once shy teen is about to graduate high school and is now applying to a number of colleges. It's so rewarding to see these kids grow up and become college-bound. What will be even more gratifying is to have them come back to work for us after they finish college."

To view WNBC-TV's coverage of Cristo Rey, visit: http://nyccmwb001/media/wnbc.wvx.