Amanda Livermore, Founding President & CEO, Cristo Rey Orlando High School

April 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Amanda Livermore, founding president and CEO of Cristo Rey Orlando High School, discussed the school’s growth since opening and its unique model that blends academics with real-world work experience. “When education is tailored to the individual student and connected to real opportunities, their potential truly comes alive,” Livermore said.

How would you describe the past year for Cristo Rey Orlando High School, and how does that reflect broader trends in education and workforce development?

This has truly been a year of growth for us. We began our feasibility study in April 2022, asking two key questions: Would the business community support our model, and would families want this unique opportunity for their students? Because all Cristo Rey students work while attending school, strong partnerships with businesses are essential. At the same time, we needed to understand whether families were looking for a different type of educational pathway.

Since that early stage, the focus has been on building relationships with both groups. When we opened our doors in July 2025 for our founding freshman class, we welcomed 122 students, which was a wonderful outcome for our first year. We are already seeing strong interest and applications for the next class, which signals that families recognize the value of combining college preparation with real-world work experience.

Community support has also grown tremendously. Early on, we were presenting the concept and pointing to the success of Cristo Rey schools around the country. Now, people can visit the campus, meet our students, and see the model in action. When corporate partners and philanthropic supporters interact with our freshmen, they often say they cannot believe these students are only in ninth grade because they already demonstrate such professionalism and confidence.

The most exciting growth has been among the students themselves. When they arrived in July, many were shy and did not know one another. Within just a few months, they have become confident young people who shake hands, look adults in the eye, and engage in meaningful conversations about their work. They are proud of their roles in partner companies and are beginning to understand that they belong in those professional environments. That shift in mindset changes how they approach their education and their future.

How has Orlando’s expanding business landscape influenced your program and model?

Our corporate work-study team stays in constant dialogue with our partner companies to understand what skills employers need most. We regularly ask questions such as: What skills do you wish employees had when they started with you? Where do you see gaps?

The Orlando Economic Partnership has also published valuable research about future workforce needs, which was extremely helpful during our feasibility study. That information highlighted industries such as technology, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, and construction and engineering as areas with significant workforce demand.

Today, we have partnerships with several major healthcare organizations including AdventHealth, Orlando Health, and Nemours, as well as smaller healthcare providers such as JMJ Pregnancy Center. Many of our students are already exploring healthcare careers through those placements.

We also have students working with architecture, engineering, and construction firms where they are gaining exposure to tools like CAD and assisting on projects. These experiences allow students to explore different career paths early. Sometimes they discover that a field excites them, and sometimes they realize it may not be the right fit. Both outcomes are valuable because they help students make more informed decisions about their futures.

At the same time, we are developing transferable skills on campus. Every student takes a leadership class daily where they learn practical workplace competencies such as presentation skills, professional communication, and how to manage calendars and emails. Many are also learning technical tools like Excel, and some have already earned QuickBooks certifications. These skills are applicable across industries and help prepare students for any career path they choose.

How are you exposing students to emerging industries such as aerospace and advanced technology?

We are continually expanding our partnerships to reach new industries that are growing in the region. In our first year, we relied heavily on the relationships of our founding team and board members to build our corporate partner network. Now that Cristo Rey Orlando is becoming more visible in the community, it is easier to connect with companies in additional sectors.

Even when students are not yet working directly in a particular industry, we bring professionals into the school to introduce them to those fields. For example, representatives from Lockheed Martin recently visited campus to speak with our students about aerospace careers and a team from Accenture offered an engaging presentation about utilizing AI in the workplace.

We also host hands-on learning opportunities. On Fridays, students can participate in programs within our Florida Blue Innovation Lab, where they explore emerging technologies. One popular activity has been drone piloting, where students learn the math and technical concepts behind operating drones. It is a practical way to connect classroom subjects like mathematics with real-world applications and potential career paths.

These experiences allow students to see how different industries operate and begin imagining themselves in those roles in the future.

How does Cristo Rey Orlando’s model address barriers to educational access while preparing students for long-term success?

Cristo Rey schools are specifically designed to serve under-resourced students and families. Our admissions process includes an income qualification to ensure we are reaching families who might not otherwise have access to a private college-preparatory education.

Beyond academics, we work to remove other barriers that could interfere with learning. We are partnering with AdventHealth and True Health to open a full-service clinic on campus that will provide dental, medical, and mental health services for our students and their families. Having those resources available on-site reduces the time and logistical challenges families face when seeking healthcare.

We are also addressing food insecurity. Through a partnership with Nemours, we operate a nutrition lab and market where families can select groceries through an app at no cost. Students take those groceries home at the end of the week, ensuring families have access to healthy food while maintaining dignity and choice.

Transportation is another major barrier. We provide daily bus service across a wide geographic area, across three counties of the Metro Orlando area, bringing students to school and to their workplaces. Students receive breakfast, lunch, and snacks at no cost while on campus. This comprehensive support allows them to focus on learning and professional development rather than worrying about basic needs.

What challenges are schools facing today, and how is Cristo Rey approaching them differently?

One of the biggest questions in education today is how people actually learn. Traditional systems often rely heavily on lecture-based instruction, yet research shows that students learn best when they are actively engaged and when learning is personalized.

At Cristo Rey Orlando, we begin by asking what success can look like for our students after graduation. We want them to have real options: the ability to succeed in college, enter the workforce, or pursue other professional pathways. Working backward from that goal allows us to design an educational experience that truly prepares them.

Our academic team meets weekly to review student performance and identify any gaps in learning immediately. If a student struggles with a concept, we address it right away rather than waiting until the end of a grading period. Our schedule includes a dedicated time block called “Hub,” where teachers can reteach concepts and reassess students who need additional support.

Our classrooms are intentionally designed to be active and collaborative. We use flexible furniture so teachers and students can move easily and work together in different configurations. Instead of long lectures, students participate in discussions, projects, and peer teaching.

Combined with the corporate work-study experience, this approach creates two complementary learning environments: the classroom and the workplace. Both reinforce each other, helping students connect academic knowledge with practical application.

It is demanding work, but the results are extraordinary. In just a short time, we have seen our students grow academically, professionally, and personally. When education is tailored to the individual student and connected to real opportunities, their potential truly comes alive.

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