Class of 2025: Angela Lopez Castillo, Cristo Rey Fort Worth

Angela Lopez Castillo, a 2025 graduate of Cristo Rey Fort Worth College Prep High School, attends Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Fort Worth

EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
 

NTC: Have you been a Cristo Rey student all four years?

ANGELA: I was a transfer sophomore, so I was here for three years. The second semester of my freshman year, I was at Eastern Hills, and before that I was in Mexico. I was born and raised in Mexico, and we moved in the middle of my freshman year.
 

NTC: How did you hear about the school?

ANGELA: We were at church, Holy Name, and Cristo Rey had a table there. This opportunity seemed really great. The thing that got me the most was the corporate work-study program because I was completely unsure of what I wanted to study, and it just seemed really cool to try different things.

When I was at Eastern Hills, it was a huge school, and I was new, moved in halfway through the year. It was really hard making friends.
 

NTC: Tell me about your work assignments through Cristo Rey.

ANGELA: My sophomore and junior years, I worked at Kelly Hart, which is a law firm. When I was a sophomore, I said that I wanted to be a lawyer. Then I realized that I didn't want to be a lawyer from working at Kelly Hart, although I did enjoy my experience a lot.

This year I'm working at General Motors, the plant, not GM Financial. My first day, they gave us a tour of the plant and how they build the cars, but I work in their materials department.
 

NTC: What are your plans after graduation?

ANGELA: I’m going to Boston College; I am going into education. [Boston College has offered Angela a full-ride scholarship.]
 

NTC: What are the strong points of Cristo Rey?

ANGELA: The corporate work-study for one; I think it's what draws the most people.

A lot of people get summer internships — I got a summer job my sophomore year at Acme Brick. I worked in their tax department, and I learned that everything is taxed.

Another strong point, I really love the teachers. I really like that the teachers genuinely do care. It shows in the way that they teach, in the way that they push students.

Office hours have been a big part of my academic formation. You can go to office hours to get a better understanding, but also in a somewhat social way — I found it to be a way to connect on a more personal level with my teachers.
 

NTC: Has attending here helped you grow in your faith?

ANGELA: I would say so. I am from a Catholic family but before coming to Cristo Rey we would go to Mass occasionally. There were a lot of teachings that you just follow along, you don't really understand the why, and everyone follows it.

It has helped me understand a lot more about my faith. It has helped me grow more — Mass, youth nights, retreats, Adoration.

Now I’ve fully immersed myself into that, and my family too. We go to Mass every week.
 

NTC: What are other ways you’ve grown in your years here?

ANGELA: First of all, I don't think I would be able to do this interview without coming here. It's mostly due to the corporate work-study. I'm a very shy person, and it has really pushed me to communicate with adults in the workplace. That's scary at first, but then you get used to it with practice.

Also critical thinking, analytical skills. I attribute that mostly to my AP classes. AP U.S. history really pushed me to ask questions and be curious.
 

NTC: Are there lessons or habits that you've learned here that you want to take with you to college?

ANGELA: The habit of writing down things that I need to do helped me organize my life. I struggle with stress a lot and it helps me dial it down a little bit.

NTC: What kind of advice would you give to an incoming freshman at Cristo Rey?

ANGELA: First of all, avoid procrastination. It’s a killer. [laugh] But I would say foster connections, foster relationships with friends, with teachers, faculty, and staff. Cristo Rey has that welcoming environment, and it just makes it super easy to have good friends that support you and walk with you to your goals, to help you be better.

My relationship with my teachers has been a huge impact on my personal development, my career. My teachers are a big part of why I've chosen to go into education.  

NTC: Anything else you want to add about your education at Cristo Rey?

ANGELA: We're from Tijuana [Mexico]. We lived there like my whole life until a week before I turned 16. When we moved here, to Texas, it was an interesting process of adapting culturally and socially and economically. The process of moving here, emotionally and physically, was really challenging.

If I hadn’t come to Cristo Rey, I think my life would be very different otherwise. I don't think I would have made it to Boston College. I would say it was God's plan. It has had an overall really positive impact on my growth.

If I had stayed in Mexico, I knew exactly where I was going to college — a 10-minute drive from my house. Coming here really did open a bunch of opportunities.