David Schmitz, one of Mount Michael’s seniors, has grown immensely physically, spiritually, and mentally at The Mount since his first year. “Coming in, you got to find out who you are and what drives you to be the best man you can be,” Schmitz said.
Although Schmitz’s faith life was minimal during his first two years of high school, it took a turn for the better during the summer before junior year. “I went to church camp. I met Father Taylor, a really cool priest, and met a classmate, Leo Dustin ’25, and we kind of clicked while at camp,” Schmitz said.
Because Schmitz met Dustin, he was able to proceed in developing his faith life after camp had ended. He was able to use the chapel any time he wanted with friends who shared the same interest in pursuing their faith life. Schmitz said he continues to try to grow in his faith daily at The Mount.
Even though Schmitz has had a very productive high school career at The Mount, he also feels he passed up some opportunities earlier on that he wishes he could go back and do. “I would’ve loved to have taken more opportunities to spend more time in the chapel,” Schmitz said. Whether this would be morning chapel or Mass, he felt that the extra time would have set him up to be in an even more intimate relationship with God today.
Mount Michael’s athletics have also impacted Schmitz. “Through sports, I’ve learned to push myself a lot and not quit when things get hard,” Schmitz said. The experiences he has undergone while participating in Mount Michael athletics have boosted his overall confidence in his own abilities and have benefited his outlook on the community Mount Michael has built for itself.
Athletics were not the only aspect that challenged Schmitz at The Mount. Schmitz said the workload and “academic rigor,” at Mount Michael forced him to dig deep into his studies to find the success that he and so many people at The Mount value. He also had to figure out who he wanted to be and what values would contribute to that.
If Schmitz could attribute the person, he is today to anyone, it would be to his dad. Schmitz said, “I watch him a lot of times in the way he goes about handling situations and when I am in tough situations I think ‘What would my dad do?’” In addition to modeling his reactions to obstacles life throws, he also feels his faith life could not be where it is today without his dad.
His dad is the one who made him go to church camp and pushed him to do difficult things that he otherwise would prefer not to do. “I can’t thank him enough for that,” Schmitz said.
With the support of Schmitz’s father, the academic and athletic rigor at The Mount, and the encouraging faith environment he spent high school in, Schmitz feels he has picked up lifelong values thanks to Mount Michael.
