During my high school years in Williston, I found myself surrounded by a number of different people who had a tremendous impact on my life.  From my friends to my parents and family members to my pastor and to the parishioners of my home parish, they all in some way had an impact on me entering the seminary.  After becoming involved with my parish through the youth group and other activities, I came to really look up to my pastor and the life that he lives as a priest.  Upon the death of my dear grandmother during my junior year of high school, I once again saw the tremendous impact a priest has on the lives of others, through his ministry to our family during that time.  After my grandmother died, I began to attend daily mass at my parish, St. Joseph's.  As I continued to attend daily mass throughout high school, I simply felt the Lord pulling at my heart and asking me to consider to be a priest.

When it came time to decide where I should spend my college years, I still felt a strong pull towards the priesthood.  After talking with the diocesan vocations director, Fr. Richter, I decided that following high school was the best time for me to enter seminary and to further discern the Lord's will in my life.  I applied to the Diocese of Bismarck and upon being accepted as a seminarian, I entered St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in the fall of 2005.