Introducing Jeffrey Wright, CTB Trustee
“The vision is for us to be in a number of schools in different states. Serving kids in these communities, just like we do here in Chicago, I’d love for us to be in 10 to 15 schools.”
Jeffrey Wright is a native son of Chicago and is a graduate of both St. Ignatius High School and Georgetown University. His lived experiences of Jesuit education have shaped his commitment to supporting Come To Believe Network as a Board Member. Mr. Wright is a professional with an extensive finance background as he works in the financial services and private equity industries.
Mr. Wright shared with us that it was the experience and knowledge of CTB’s President/CEO, Fr. Steve Katsouros, and CTB’s proven record of providing not only access but support to students that motivated him to become a trustee. He states “I was fortunate to meet some of the [Arrupe] students and understand the mission and to understand who we serve a little bit better. I personally knew a lot of friends and family members who would have benefited from a school like Arrupe.”
Furthermore, Mr. Wright believes that some of the most pressing issues in higher education are the gaps between quality and cost. By this, he means that both private and public sector schools are not providing access because the cost of attending school is too high and comes with taking on significant risk in the form of debt. This often makes higher education a risk not worth taking for low-income students and their families. He mentions that “a lot of kids in our communities if they go to school, it definitely gives the sense to other folks [...] that the payoff is not there.” This leads many students to become discouraged about pursuing a college degree – which eliminates access to many professional opportunities.
Mr. Wright believes that what makes the CTB model unique is that it dramatically increases the chance that college students will be successful during their first two years of college while not incurring significant school-related debt. He says that the focus a CTB model college has “identifies very actively that the two first years after high school can make or break a person’s professional and academic career.” This is unique because there is a focus on meeting young college students where they are in their academic and personal journeys. Meeting smart people, who often lack the resources to attend college, with their needs to be successful.
Come To Believe is excited to welcome Mr. Wright as a Trustee knowing that his perspective and leadership will shape and guide our work for years to come.
