Background: He and his 3 sisters are products of Catholic schools. Charles and his family attend St. Gregory Catholic Church, and his mother and sister have both worked for Catholic schools.
Loved most about attending Catholic schools: “Relationships. The teachers were great. Lessons learned outside the classroom really made an impact. Hearing about teachers’ life experiences and them taking the time to share their stories with us was meaningful. Relationships with peers were amazing, too. Friendships from grade school are still important. Classmates at school become second family.”
Memories: “Some of the greatest memories from high school come from service opportunities. While service was required to some extent, many of us enjoyed learning about the people in our community who need help. Many kids did significantly more than the required hours because they liked helping others, and Bourgade introduced us to those opportunities. At St. Vincent de Paul, some of us served food and others tutored kids and read to them. Those experiences helped us grow and to appreciate all that we have.”
Accomplishments: “Acceptance into GCU with a scholarship and being the CEA summer intern. With a goal of studying business in college, I used to think of businesses as huge places with hundreds of employees in giant buildings. Being at CEA taught me that business is about the work being done, not the size of the company. CEA, with only 6 employees this summer, was just ranked #6 in the Phoenix Business Journal for non-profit organizations (cultural / educational), and we’re the #1 STO.
Future plans: “Short-term plan is to attend Grand Canyon University (GCU) and study Business Administration. Long-term plans include being a small business owner or partner and enjoying my job. Enjoying the work and the people I work with is important!”
