When you have a big school like Cardinal Gibbons, every educator is necessary and valued for building up our community.
One of our most beloved educators is Mrs. Meredith Espina (neé McElory.) Mrs. Espina works in the Spiritual Life department, and is currently in her third year at Gibbons. She specifically works as Cardinal Gibbons Retreat and Outreach Coordinator, Co-Director for the House Point System, and Co-Leader for Gibbons Leader Institute.
The Gibbons Globe sent Espina questions via email about *.
Mrs. Espina’s journey is far from over here at Gibbons. Whether it is her leadership skills, great faith, or overall loving personality, we know that she is the definition of one of the many talented educators at Gibbons.
How do you incorporate faith into your job?
“Faith is crucial to all aspects of my job. I think the best way to share our faith is to live it out. I love being able to do this as I serve alongside our students on their service days and have daily conversations about things that students are struggling with. I enjoy bringing faith into leadership training by talking about the qualities that Christian Leaders should exemplify. Treating everyone around me with kindness and respect is key to living out my faith in my job.”
Do you have any hopes or goals to achieve as an educator at Gibbons?
“I hope to be an educator that students feel safe around. I hope to offer opportunities for students to learn more about themselves, their strengths, and their relationship with God. I also hope to make many more connections with other agencies who are serving in our greater Raleigh area so that our students can have experiences where they learn to love serving.”
What are some of the biggest accomplishments you have had at Gibbons?
“At Gibbons, I have been most excited about working with the Spiritual Life Team to offer overnight service opportunities. I took nine students to serve at St Francis Inn in Philadelphia in February 2023, and will take more students this year. We also began to offer summer service trips. Last summer I took 10 students to serve with the Appalachia Service Project completing home repair projects in Tennessee. I have also been excited to develop the House System and create new events for students to get connected and engage with their peers.”
What are some challenges you have faced here?
“One funny challenge I faced when I began at Gibbons was calling my old teachers by their first names! As a Gibbons alumna from the class of 2018, I would have never pictured myself working as colleagues with my high school teachers! It took some getting used to to call them by their first names instead of Mr & Mrs. Also, working in Spiritual Life has challenged me to deepen my relationship with Christ, because it is really challenging to give from an empty cup. I have days where my faith feels like it is taking the back seat, but I am reminded of how important it is to have a relationship with Christ when I see so many students getting involved in their own faith journey.”
