Her alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. She goes through the motions to get ready for her day: showering, getting dressed, and grabbing her keys. Then Emma Niceler, senior, walks out the door, headed for class. But she’s not bound for an early zero hour at MHS.

Each weekday morning, Niceler joins students from MHS, Parkway West and Lafayette at seminary, a program that educates young Mormons about the cores of their beliefs.

She has attended since her freshman year of high school, learning about the scriptures that make up her religion.

“Every morning we’re supposed to go to class at 6 a.m.,” she said.

Niceler helps to make up the 82 percent of all American teenagers ages 13-17 who are affiliated with a local congregation of any religion, according to research by Christian Smith of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For Niceler, high school helped build a foundation for her faith.

“I think in any religion, you have some doubts,” she said. “You have to build your own testimony. I had to reaffirm my beliefs in high school,” she said.

High school has also provided plenty of tests for Niceler’s beliefs.

“We don’t drink coffee or alcohol, and I never even look off of someone’s worksheet,” she said.

Sanya Iqbal, senior, found that high school influenced her to make a huge change in her faith as a Muslim. Earlier in the 2014-15 school year, Iqbal chose to wear the hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women.

“Putting the headscarf on was really hard to do, but it was a step for me to realize my outer appearance doesn’t matter as much as my inner,” Iqbal said

Now she spends more time matching and coordinating scarves with her outfits for school.

Iqbal explained that though she was born and raised Muslim, she made the decision to follow the faith herself.

“At first, you just culturally follow your religion,” she said. “As I read the Quran for myself, I gained a more mature perspective.”

High school gave Iqbal the opportunity to lean on her faith

“Sometimes when you have issues, especially in high school, it’s something to turn to in hard times,” she said.

Matt Howard, sophomore, experienced a strengthening of faith in 6 grade after a health crisis, and found that high school has only encouraged his beliefs.

“I had a surgery because there was a tumor on my spinal cord,” Howard explained. “Before that, I didn’t know if I believed. After, I’ve become more solid.”

Howard attends St. John Church in Ellisville, where he leads worship for the middle school youth group, a position he gained while in high school.

“High school pushes you to stand up for what you believe in,” Howard said. “For me, it’s made me stronger.”

With his faith as a Christian comes an acceptance of all types of people.

“I’m really open. I strive to care about everyone,” Howard said. “Jesus cared about everyone no matter how far gone or different they are.”

Throughout her years at MHS, Julia Saak, senior, categorized herself as a nondenominational Christian. That changed on April 4 when she was confirmed as a Catholic.

Saak started attending youth group at Holy Infant with her friends from school, and said she owes her conversion to them.

“I don’t think I ever would have been confirmed without my friends,” Saak said. “They’re the reason I became a Catholic.”

“I try to be a good person, I go to youth group,” Saak said. “My core beliefs haven’t changed, but there’s a lot more tradition in the Masses and the specifics have sort of altered.”

Timothy Claudin, director of Holy Infant Youth Ministry, leads weekly meetings with 60-80 teens in attendance. He said that high school can either make or break a person’s faith.

“I think that teenagers are faced with circumstances in high school that force them into thinking about who they want to be,” Claudin said. “In my experience, I have seen both teens become more involved and interested in faith as well as consider it irrelevant in their lives.”

Claudin added that a system of faith can enhance life for teenagers struggling through high school.

“Participating in religion provides a community” he said. “Having a strong faith to rely on can truly lead to a happier and more fulfilling life.