Accepting Applications for the 2026-2027 School Year
Chuma Nnawulezi and bride, and Mr. Paul Franklin, Chuma's friend and seventh-grade teacher at Jesuit Academy Omaha.
Alumnus reflects on lifelong impact of Nativity model as Xavier Jesuit Academy brings proven approach to Cincinnati.
Chuma Nnawulezi remembers exactly how it felt to be a student at Jesuit Middle School of Omaha, now Jesuit Academy. Two words capture his experience: cared for and challenged.
"What I most remember about my experience at Jesuit Middle School is that I felt cared for and I also felt challenged," recalls Nnawulezi, who graduated in 2008.
That combination of support and high expectations launched a remarkable journey. From Jesuit Academy, Nnawulezi went on to Creighton Preparatory High School, Xavier University in Cincinnati, and Georgetown University for his master's degree. Today, he serves as an Executive Engagement Manager at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Previously, he worked as a United States diplomat, serving in Djibouti, Mexico, and Washington, D.C.
More Than Education: A Lifelong Community
What sets the Jesuit Nativity model apart isn't just what happens during school hours. It's the ongoing support that extends long after graduation.
"At every stage of my life when I needed something, I reached back to that community and I've never been led astray," Nnawulezi says.
The relationships formed at Jesuit Academy remain central to his life. He speaks with deep gratitude about Father Jim Alki, the school's founder, who became a close family friend and provided crucial support when Nnawulezi's mother passed away during his high school years. Then there's Mr. Paul Franklin, his seventh grade teacher, whose bond with Nnawulezi has endured for nearly two decades. Last year, Mr. Franklin and his entire family attended Nnawulezi's wedding.
Values That Guide Daily Decisions
"I go through my day and I think about the values that Jesuit Middle School taught me. Compassion, being a man for others, and I've tried to live my life guided by a lot of those values," Nnawulezi explains. "I'm thankful for instilling that mission and those values in me at an early age, and that's helped me navigate difficult moments and difficult decisions in my life."
Those values took on new dimensions during his time at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he spent considerable time in neighborhoods like Evanston, Avondale, and Over-the-Rhine. "At Xavier, I was able to get outside of the classroom and see how those values were playing out in the real world."
Xavier Jesuit Academy is Bringing the Model to Cincinnati
This proven model has now come to Bond Hill. Xavier Jesuit Academy opened in August 2024 as Cincinnati's only Jesuit Nativity school, serving young men in grades 3-8. The school is the 20th Jesuit Nativity-model school and the 33rd member of the Nativity Miguel Coalition of schools across the U.S. and Canada.
XJA provides scholarship-funded education through an extended day model (7:50 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) with small class sizes. The school's mission echoes the one that shaped Nnawulezi's life: preparing young men to be leaders and "Men for Others" through disciplined academic preparation for life in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition.
Students at XJA spend more than nine hours per day in school, approximately three hours more than their peers in traditional public schools. They receive intensive reading programs, technology and computers for 21st-century learning, educational field trips to Cincinnati's cultural institutions, STEM supplies for hands-on discovery, and comprehensive support that makes the difference between basic education and life transformation.
Honoring St. Francis Xavier's Legacy
This December, Xavier Jesuit Academy is celebrating the Feast of St. Francis Xavier with an extraordinary opportunity for the community to join this mission.
In 1541, St. Francis Xavier left everything behind to educate young people across distant lands. From India to Japan, he established schools because he understood that education transforms not just individuals, but entire communities.
We honor his legacy right here in Bond Hill. Thanks to a generous matching gift from Lucy and Bob Carroll, every donation made through December 31st will be doubled, up to $25,000.
Your $100 gift becomes $200. Your $500 gift becomes $1,000.
Join the Mission
Looking back on his entire educational journey, Nnawulezi expresses no reservations about the path that shaped him.
"I feel very lucky to have had Jesuit education my entire academic career," he reflects. "If I had the chance to do it again, I would do it all over with not making any changes. I think I've really benefited from it."
His experience, and that of thousands of other Nativity school alumni, demonstrates what's possible when young people receive not just education, but comprehensive formation rooted in faith, supported by community, and sustained over time.
As Xavier Jesuit Academy grows from its founding class of 49 students toward full capacity of 100 students by 2027-28, it carries forward a tradition proven over five decades, one that transforms individual lives and, as St. Francis Xavier understood, entire communities.
Your matched gift today builds Men for Others tomorrow.
Every donation to Xavier Jesuit Academy through December 31st will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000. Join us in honoring St. Francis Xavier's legacy and transforming lives in Bond Hill.
Campaign runs through December 31, 2025.
The video was first shared at the Evening with John Dau event with XJA friends and partners on October 29, 2025.
