Roselawn High senior Jonathan Lopez isn’t just following in the footsteps of one of his family members, he is combining career paths from both his father and uncle to create his own path for the future.

Just like his uncle, Lopez plans to join the Army after graduation. But following in the footsteps of his father, he is thinking about becoming a mechanic in the Army. Beyond that, he is unsure of his career.  

Since he was little, Lopez said, he always wanted to join the Army. He also began learning about cars from a young age, often assisting his father with repairs.

“Working on cars is fun and challenging,” Lopez said.

His drive to join the Army, though, was always a priority for Lopez since he was about three-feet tall.  

He will be graduating from Roselawn Continuation High School on May 27 and plans to enroll in the Army soon after.

“I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning new things,” he said.

Lopez started to see the Army in his future when his uncle would return from training and tell him a bunch of stories. His uncle was in charge of diffusing bombs and he would tell Lopez how his heart would race every time knowing that he could die while trying to save the lives of those in the danger area of the bomb.

“I thought my uncle’s stories were so cool,” he said.

After Lopez is finished with his career in the Army, he plans to attend Modesto Junior College to get his associate’s degree.

He isn’t sure what he wants to major in or what career path he will take plans to take, but he trusts that over time he will figure it out.

“I don’t know what I want to do yet,” he said. “I will just have to wait and find out.”

His hard work and passion to try new things will take him on a journey to find a future career.

Lopez attended Pitman High for his first three years of high school and just started attending Roselawn his senior year. His hard work paid off and he will get to graduate on time.

One new thing he plans to try after graduation is jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. He plans to skydive next month with a friend.

As he searches for his dream career, he will be keeping his father’s path to success in mind.

“My dad is my role model,” Lopez said. “He came from Mexico with nothing and now he has everything.”

To contact Maegan Martens, e-mail mmartens@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2015.