Is Taking a Gap Year Right
for Your Student?
BY APRIL DORNIDON DEOCARIZA . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
EVA SPOHN (LEFT) DANCING WITH A GOLD RESIDENT DURING HER GAP YEAR FOCUSED ON SERVICE.
When Eva Spohn graduated high school in Kentucky, the then-18-year-old found herself at a crossroads. She could continue her educational path as many students do by moving on to higher education. However, she felt a stirring to try something different, an ‘adventure’ as she puts it. “High school was pretty rigorous for me, so I wanted to take time to experience the world in a different way besides being a ‘student,’” recalls Spohn. “School had taught me about the problems that exist in the world, but I wanted to do something more hands-on to help people in a concrete way.” It was that inkling of a desire that ultimately landed Spohn in Oklahoma, focusing her gap year in 2018 with the Gospel of Life Disciples + Dwellings (GOLD). Founded by Sister Maria of the Trinity, GOLD has three locations in Oklahoma City, Moore and Grand Prairie, Texas. The personal care homes offered by GOLD not only provide a place to live for the elderly but also provide a sense of community, especially for those who are terminally ill, without family or resources or are facing other difficult life circumstances. Spohn served as a “LifeGuard” (the name for volunteers at GOLD), living and caring for the residents in both the Moore and Oklahoma City dwellings during her gap year. In that transformative year, Spohn not only gained greater clarity on life but also found inspiration for her next career step.
SISTER MARIA OF THE TRINITY (SECOND FROM LEFT), FOUNDER OF GOLD, WITH EVA SPOHN (THIRD FROM LEFT) AND GOLD VOLUNTEERS.
52 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JAN-FEB 2022
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