Seizing the Summer After Graduation with Intentionality

By: Katie Clawson, Class of 2023
CCA alumna Katie Clawson (Class of 2023) encourages recent high school graduates to make the most of their summer by sharing what her post-senior year summer looked like as well as other ideas for consideration. Congrats, grads! 🎓

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Graduating high school is a huge milestone in a student’s life. It is the beginning of a brand new chapter of independence and full dependence on the Lord. After walking across the stage and before going off to college, attending trade school, or entering the workforce, students are given a few months in between – the summer!

So, how can a student make the summer after their senior year intentional? I want to provide some encouragement and share what my journey looked like before beginning a brand new chapter of my life.

When I was a senior at CCA, I had the opportunity to be a student leader on the 8th grade mission trip to Eleuthera, Bahamas. This was my first time visiting the ministry Camp Bahamas (CB), founded by two incredible missionaries, Andrea and Richard Albury.

While I was leading my group of CCA 8th graders that week, I absolutely fell in love with this ministry, and I felt called to be more involved. Towards the end of the week, I connected with Alexa Albury, Richard and Andrea’s daughter and Discipleship Coordinator at CB. She encouraged me to apply for an internship position they were offering that summer, which was the summer after graduation for me.

When I returned home, I began praying and asking God to open doors if this was something He wanted me to step into. The Albury’s offered me an internship position, so I packed my bag and headed to Eleuthera for a month. I had never been away from home for this length of time, so it was definitely a step of faith for me.

 
During the month of June, Camp Bahamas hosts several mission teams from the U.S. in order to prepare for the camp they run in July and August that serves Bahamian teenagers. While interning at CB, I learned to listen to other peoples’ stories, to appreciate the life and servant hands God has given me, and to step out in faith into the plan He has for my life. I met some incredible people who I would have never met if I hadn’t stepped into this summer opportunity!

My story is just one example of how to make the summer after your senior year intentional. This can be done in so many different ways, and you certainly don’t have to leave the country to be intentional with your summer. Many of my friends stepped into a new job or got ahead by taking online college courses. Others were really intentional with spending time with their family before transitioning into a new season.

The most important piece is to ask the Lord to provide you guidance, opportunities, and courage to step out in faith! If you’re a recent graduate, know that I am very excited to see what God Has in store for you and am praying for you as you start this new chapter.

 
 
Katie Clawson graduated from CCA Fort Lauderdale in 2023. She is now a sophomore at Covenant College on Lookout Mountain, Georgia and is pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. She is passionate about loving others and stepping into the plan God has for her future.
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