15 Alumni for 15 Years

We will be featuring 15 Alumni for 15 Years this year and hope you enjoy hearing about our alumni, just as much as we love sharing their stories.

Sincere Rodriguez ‘22
Immaculata University 2026

Sincere Rodriguez found his way to Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School by chance and a counselor recommendation. He found the Work-Study Program interesting and knew it could provide a different high school experience for him. “Once I was at Cristo Rey, I threw myself into it,” Sincere says. He immediately became involved with Cross Country, The Dialogue Project, SLAM Poetry, and Student Ambassadors, knowing that they would enhance his experience. He says doing so led him to his first real adult decision: figuring out how best to allocate his time. He decided to invest his time in The Dialogue Project and SLAM Poetry. During his freshman and sophomore years at Cristo Rey Philadelphia, Sincere worked with University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and The Philadelphia Writing Project. He credits this Work-Study Placement with improving his public speaking skills and confidence. While at school, he appreciated his teachers for teaching him about Growth Mindset and the idea that there are more ways than one to get to the correct answer. With the onset of the pandemic, Sincere found his growth mindset challenged toward the end of his Sophomore year, but was right back at it his Junior Year. He knew he needed to finish his time at Cristo Rey just as he started, sights set on doing “everything in my power to do the best that I could.” As a Howley Foundation Scholar and a Student-Board Liaison, he knew it was possible.

At the end of his Junior Year, Sincere was approached to join the Horizons at Cristo Rey Philadelphia programming team for the initial summer. There were just two classes and a few staff members! Since then, he has grown from Program Assistant to Student Supervisor to Teaching Assistant to Social-Emotional Learning Assistant. He says, “Horizons has seen me through a lot of growth. I have learned many lessons in leadership, especially when working with my peers.” 

The thought for Sincere’s college plans began early. He always knew he wanted to study Psychology so he took Statistics and Data Analytics in high school to best prepare him for college. He was the first in his grade to commit to college at Immaculata University, a Cristo Rey Philadelphia University Partner. During Sincere’s summers throughout college, he returned to Horizons year after year to put his degree to use. As a member of the SEL Team, he ensures our students are learning ways to best cope with their emotions and relationships. Sincere graduated from Immaculata University in May and will begin his first job as an Autistic Emotional Support Facilitator with Nyman Associates next month. He will be providing one-on-one assistance to students with Autism at KIPP Philadelphia Octavius Catto Elementary. He believes he got the job, because of his networking, a skill learned at Cristo Rey!

Sincere’s story is one of over 1000 alumni from Cristo Rey Philadelphia. We will be featuring 15 Alumni for 15 Years this year and hope you enjoy hearing about our alumni, just as much as we love sharing their stories.