High school senior Vivian Guerra credits her teachers for making her strong during the pandemic.

“I love my teachers, all four years here,” Guerra said.” They are my rock.”

It is that strength that helped this high school senior when she learned her work-study job was no longer available.

“I was disappointed,” expressed Guerra.

Under a unique model, all students who attend Cristo Rey Jesuit High Schools across the country get jobs with certain companies who then agree to pay 70 percent of the students’ tuition.

“When we went into a shelter-in-place, it stopped the model that we’ve had for 25 years,” said executive vice president Morgan Collier.

The Cristo Rey Network has 37 schools and serves more than 12,000 students in underserved communities across the United States.

The average income for a family is less than $35,000. The pandemic cut students’ jobs in some schools by 50 percent.