However, Edouard is quick to point out that Cristo Rey did much more than improve her academics. She explained that the school's model is to have four days of academics, and one of full-day employment each week. During her freshman year, Edouard worked at the New England Aquarium. The following two years she worked for an insurance company; and her final year she worked for Greater Media Boston.

"By the time I graduated, I had this portfolio that not many 18-year-olds can possibly have," she said. She also had "very real experiences -- like how to interview, and how to effectively communicate with others," she added.

Perhaps most special to Edouard is the Cristo Rey community itself.

"Everyone is coming from the same place," she said, referring to the fact that the school population is all low-income, inner city Bostonians. "We all knew how the inner city worked. We all have a common bond that we started out with. And then, through many community-building activities, we became who we are today."

Edouard credits the teachers for motivating her to always push herself.

"I learned that if you don't have someone who sets the bar high, you can easily get lost in the crowd," she said, adding that teachers such as Christina Searby always kept her striving until she graduated as the salutatorian of the class of 2012.

"The teachers gave me this work ethic that I still have today, and this spirit to always look at things in a positive way. To not be brought down by adversity, but to look and see how to make things better," she said.

It was this spirit that led her back to Cristo Rey as an intern in the counseling department for her practicum requirement at Boston College.

"I had such a great experience I wanted to make sure others do, too," she said, adding that returning to "give back to the Cristo Rey community" is very common among alumni of the school.

"We who have thrived at Cristo Rey want to give back our very selves to the next generation," she said.

"In the face of the adversity that each of them -- that each of us -- has faced, we have this incredible hope for the future. Not just to change our lives, but to change the world," said Edouard.