At Saint Thomas More, Jonathon Hofer is preparing students not only for what comes next, but for what they can give to Rapid City. By: Amy Rose Photos: Bailey Sadowsky Jonathon Hofer spent much of his young life trying to figure out what came next. The U.S. Naval Academy. College. Medical school. A career. There seemed to be a path, and Hofer was prepared to follow it. What he could not see yet was that some of the experiences that would shape him most would come when that path changed. Today, at 33, Hofer is back near the corner of Fairmont and Fifth Street in Rapid City, a place woven through nearly every chapter of his life. He was born across the street at Monument Health, attended Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and Saint Thomas More, received sacraments at the Cathedral and was later married there. Now he walks the halls of Saint Thomas More High School as Assistant Principal of Student Life and a biology teacher. Hofer was one of five children. His mother stayed home, and his father worked for the National Guard. His parents believed deeply in education, but it took leaving home for Hofer to understand their sacrifice. "I really took for granted the opportunities that I was given here at the school and the community that we had and the care," he said. "It wasn't until really I left that I started to appreciate not only the incredible experience I was given, but also the tremendous sacrifice that my parents had to make to send me here." His teachers challenged him, encouraged him and knew his name. That support helped prepare Hofer to receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, but sleepwalking episodes made a future in the Navy incompatible with his condition. His path changed, and Hofer eventually attended the University of Mary in Bismarck, studying biology and pre-med. As graduation approached, Hofer was preparing for medical school when his good friend, Father Tyler Dennis, asked why he wanted to become a doctor. Hofer said he wanted to help people. Dennis reminded him there were many ways to do that. "I realized I hadn't really thought it through in a really intentional way," Hofer said. By then, another experience had already begun changing how he saw his future. While studying in Rome, Hofer, a science student who preferred facts and evidence, was required to take art history. His professor led students through museums in Rome and Paris, connecting art to history, philosophy, theology, and science. Hofer later told her, "You taught me to see." The lesson extended far beyond art. She helped him see his own life differently. Back at the University of Mary, Hofer worked in residence life and taught science labs. People began telling him he had a gift for education, and he started recognizing the impact educators could have on students. "Life isn't about you," Hofer said. "You've got gifts and talents, and the most impressive thing to do with those gifts and talents is to give those away." Eventually, Hofer and his wife wanted to return to Rapid City and raise their children in the community that had shaped him. When a position opened at Saint Thomas More, he came home. He accepted the assistant principal position but insisted on continuing to teach, giving him an opportunity to build relationships with students beyond enforcing rules and expectations. Hofer admits he is intense and that students have helped him recognize that intensity can sometimes be intimidating. He also admits he likes people to like him, something that can make holding students accountable difficult. But for Hofer, caring for students does not mean lowering expectations. "I want the students to leave here knowing that I love them," he said. "And I love them enough to hold them accountable." Perhaps nowhere has Hofer's journey come full circle more clearly than in Rome. He helped lead 12 Saint Thomas More students on a pilgrimage to the city that had once changed him. During the trip, a student told Hofer she was realizing for the first time that the saints they were learning about had been real people. They were not only real, she said, but were "like my friends and they're cheering me on." Years earlier, a teacher in Rome had taught Hofer to see that. Now he was watching a student experience a similar realization, only this time, Hofer was the teacher. For Hofer, that experience reflects what education within the Rapid City Catholic School System is meant to accomplish. He describes families as the primary educators and the school as their partner, an extension of the formation that begins at home. Academic rigor is part of that mission, but so are faith, service and recognizing the dignity and potential of each student. It is the same education Hofer now realizes shaped him. Service projects taught him to pay attention to his community, teachers pushed him academically, and mentors invested in him personally. Today, he sees Saint Thomas More continuing that work with another generation, preparing students not simply for what comes next, but to consider what they can give to the communities they will one day serve. Looking back, Hofer does not consider himself self-made. His parents sacrificed. His siblings shaped him. Teachers challenged him, mentors guided him, and his faith and community gave him a foundation. "There is, in some ways, not a single thing that is mine," he said. Hofer left Rapid City searching for what he was supposed to become. Eventually, his journey brought him back to the halls where teachers once saw something in him that he could not yet see in himself. Now he has the opportunity to do the same for another generation. "Everything that I have is a gift," Hofer said. "And the only thing that I'm really called to do is give that gift." Original story from the October Edition of Elevate Magazine