Palmer Trinity graduate Evelyn Godley is on her way to the Tyler School of Art at Temple University.
“Ideally I would like to be an artist, but I think I’d like to do something more versatile like graphic design, marketing or industrial art,” she says.
In art school, Godley plans to try every type of art offered.
“Right now I only do painting, drawing and ceramics,” she says. “I’m going to try and do everything I can when I get to college.”
She only dabbled in art until middle school when she took her first real art class. The teacher taught the principles of art and that sparked her imagination.
“I kept getting better and better. I still don’t see myself as amazing but I get all this praise,” Godley says. “Two years ago I realized this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
At Palmer Trinity, she was the art editor for the school’s literary magazine, Green Sky, Blue Grass.
“The name was chosen before I came on board, but I think it’s sort of a quirky, poetic name,” she says.
Godley sifted through numerous art submissions with the other editors, each choosing their favorites.
“From that I got to choose which ones got into the magazine,” she says. “I like it when people have their own style.”
Godley is working on her own style. Godley believes after a foundation year at art school she will have a better idea of what she wants to do, or what she can do. What she finds most attractive about art is the fact that it’s something she can do for the rest of her life.
While taking her journey to become an artist, Godley took the time to volunteer with several clubs at Palmer. She spent time at the homeless assistant center in Homestead.
“I’ve done it over the years with school. I also used to do it with my church,” she says. “We would have a Halloween party for the children and I would do face painting.”
She was a member of the RICE club, which was for raising awareness for literacy in India.
In middle school, Godley was involved in boycotting fast food restaurants to protest the treatment of those who picked the tomatoes that were used in restaurants.
“We did it because people were underpaid for picking tomatoes,” she says.
Godley was president of the French Honor Society. It was a year when the club was undergoing changes with a new teacher advisor, but she says she brought all she could to the club. In fact, she believes that the club’s role in Palmer’s international festival was more successful than in the past thanks to increased support from club members.
She was a member of the FHS since her sophomore years and had observed that the club’s booth was not particularly popular in the past. But last year, she had a club member make small, pretty desserts that were popular.
Godley was also a member of the Gay Straight Alliance at Palmer and she was an athlete, playing basketball as a freshman and lacrosse in ninth, 10th and 12th grade. This past year the team made it to the district finals before losing.
By Linda Bernfeld Rodriguez
