My Perspective
Like generations before and after
us at Jesuit High School, the Class of
1987 was ingrained with the notion of
becoming “Men for Others.”
Pursuit of that lofty Jesuit ideal has
formed so many of our lives. It isn’t
always at the forefront of our minds, but
it’s never far from it. It has helped guide
us, consciously and subconsciously, as
we have charted our lives.
It was that mindset, along with other
key elements of my Jesuit educational
formation, that inspired me to connect
with Cristo Rey Jesuit in Houston.
Cristo Rey schools have unique partnerships
with local corporations. Our
students, who come from economically
disadvantaged backgrounds, are given
an excellent Catholic-based education
and are provided with signifi cant
professional work experience through
the Corporate Work-Study Program.
Our programs, in conjunction with
rigorous academics, help students gain
the knowledge, character, and skills to
transform their lives.
Prior to the opening in 2009, my
wife and I took a tour of the school and
felt compelled to support the mission
of Cristo Rey Jesuit. As a Managing
Director at JPMorgan responsible for
the Global Energy trading business, I
didn’t have much time to volunteer, but
I began teaching one day a year.
Then, on a business trip to London,
I had an important awakening that I
was missing some of the most important
years of our children’s lives, and I
wanted to do something of signifi cance
for others. I took a sabbatical from
JPMorgan and began to teach a
leadership class at CRJ.
In 2014, tragedy struck Cristo Rey
when our founding president, Fr. T.J.
Martinez, S.J., contracted stomach
cancer, and died the following year.
I was honored to be named interim
president, and then president. Now,
I strive to fulfi ll the mission established
by Fr. Martinez, while
recalling my own
formation at Jesuit.
My transition from a corporate
career – I spent 20 years in the energy
business – to education leadership
draws on beliefs developed along my
journey, beliefs which fi rst began forming
during my time at Jesuit in Tampa:
Trust that God has a plan for you:
Hard work, coupled with prayer (as
St. Ignatius says: “Pray as if everything
depends on God; work as if everything
depends on you”), will lead us to the
next door that God wants us to open.
When we make time for God – in both
the good and the bad times – He will
guide us down the road we are meant
to go.
Paul Posoli ’87
Be grateful for your failures (sometimes
more than your successes): We will
make mistakes and inevitably taste failure
or setbacks – and that’s okay. Failure makes
us stronger, and the key to any failure is
our response. If we never failed, we would
never learn from our mistakes, and we
would never have opportunities to
appreciate what is truly important. We
must live and love, and enjoy the gifts of
life with an attitude of gratitude.
Know what you stand for, and stand
for it all the time: You will most
defi nitely get tested on your values
throughout your life. Everyone makes
mistakes but it’s important to stay true to
those values that are core to your belief
system and your vision for your life.
Be present – time fl ies by: We are
constantly connected in today’s digital age.
Because we’re always “on,” do we ever really
disconnect so we can be truly present with
those around us? If we don’t slow down and
focus on being truly present, we’ll fail to
bear witness to the beauty around us.
Emphasizing values I learned at Jesuit
– justice, intellectual growth, and service
to others – and enhancing the student
experience through clubs and expansion
of extracurricular sports and arts activities,
have become my mission at Cristo Rey.
I am thankful for
the school that
helped shape
me 30-plus
years ago,
as I now
endeavor to
help shape
the lives of
others, like so
many other Jesuit
alumni.
JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2017-18 39