The road beyond high school is one that has endless paths. The path one chooses most likely reflects one’s interests and opportunities. Most students would ideally want to go to college and work to get a degree in the profession they will work the rest of their life. Others might choose to jump straight into the corporate world and get a job or have fun and enjoy their youth while it lasts. However, there is one unconventional path that is rarely followed. It is one that only the truly dedicated and selfless can follow. It is the path of faith.

Jonathan Zavala didn’t always want to be a priest for his Mormon religion. “My dad has always been into the religion. It wasn’t until my baptism when I decided church was something I wanted to be serious about.” After his baptism at age 13, he started to take a more active role in his church and become more spiritual.

“Before, I considered myself agnostic and confused, but the bishop at the church helped me and I decided that this was a path that I wanted to take.” Sixteen is the age for young men to start training to become priests and Zavala humbly accepted the opportunity to become one and help others become further enlightened in his religion. As of now he has been a practicing priest of the Mormon religion for over two years.

With his title and commitment come duties and responsibilities to his church. Zavala is in charge of facilitating priest meetings with other high members of the church, reminding those who have not visited church in a while to come and bless the Holy Sacrament. He has been doing this a couple times a week ever since he started his priesthood.

After graduation he plans on going on a journey almost all Mormon priests take at one point in their life called a mission. “You send an application and if they accept you, you go away and live somewhere else for two years.” The goal of these missions is to spread the Mormon faith to foreign places and expand the religion. Missionaries feel that by spreading their faith they can spread joy and enlightenment to those who are confused and lost in what to believe in.

These missions can span from anywhere in the United States to other continents. Now, there are more places a missionary can be sent to. “If I could go anywhere for my mission I would want to go to China.” Zavala has gained a newfound happiness from his faithful path and wants to spread that happiness across the globe.