Exciting Partnership Announced

Teresa Martinez | Director of Communications
Since its founding in Havana, Cuba in 1854 and forced relocation in Miami in 1961, Belen Jesuit has been committed to providing a Jesuit education to as many young men as possible.
We are excited to announce that we are working with the non-profit group, Breakthrough Miami to ensure that our school population is more reflective of the community we live in.
 
“We consider it a blessing to have this opportunity to work with Breakthrough Miami,” said Fr. Guillermo García-Tuñón, S.J., president. “It is very important that we take active measures to increase our diversity on campus and after meeting with the people at Breakthrough I knew they were a great fit. Having met these students, I know that our school will provide a wonderful opportunity for them to grow into the wonderful young men who will become pillars of our community.”
 
“We are thankful, the families are thankful and we are all excited about our partnership with Belen,” said Managing Program Director Lauren Kellner Rudolph from Breakthrough Miami. “We are an eight-year academic enrichment program. We work with highly motivated students in Miami that might not have the opportunity to reach their full potential, we want them to always reach their full potential; we begin working with students starting in the summer after fourth grade and offer yearlong enrichment courses. We help to make sure that they remain on track academically, and more importantly, get access to opportunities that they may not have had.”
 
Belen Jesuit’s population is largely Hispanic and the school’s strategic plan, which was released in August 2017, calls for us to look at our diversity in terms of socioeconomic and race so we can represent a more diverse student population. This is a step forward in reaching the vision established by that plan.
 
“This is a great step that Belen is taking to diversify our campus,” said Don Chaney, disciplinarian. “Belen offers numerous opportunities to young men who are striving for excellence. The best thing about this opportunity is the support given throughout the students’ tenure here. They will now see how this amazing brotherhood will support them for life.”
 
On February 22, the first students admitted to Belen Jesuit through Breakthrough Miami were welcomed along with their families for introductions and a tour. These students took part in the general application process and sat for the entrance exam in December.  They each passed with high marks.
 
“I think this will be a great opportunity for me,” said incoming student Jameer. “I’m looking forward to taking part in the clubs – there are so many great ones – I also enjoy creative writing, art and reading. I’m also looking forward to trying out for the baseball team. I’m just very excited in general!”
 
“By partnering with this organization, we will share our Catholic faith, Jesuit spirituality, and Ignatian tradition of serving those in greatest need,” said Director of Admissions Lucila E. Marazita-Espinosa. “These are all excellent students who meet our highest standards for admissions and we look forward to seeing them excel as Wolverines.”
 
“We are looking forward to having our son Justin come to Belen,” said Teresita Nartatez. “We’ve heard great things about the school and I can tell that this is a wonderful place. I look forward to him starting here.”
 
Breakthrough Miami has been servicing the Miami-Dade community since 2007 and has worked with other schools such as Ransom Everglades, Miami Country Day School, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Gulliver Schools and others. To date the organization has served more than 1,200 students in our local community.
 
 
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BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.