Senior Daniel Seagraves walks into a funeral home but there are not tears. There is no sadness, but instead excitement because he has a day’s work ahead of him. Unlike most high school students, Seagraves has already made up his mind on what he wants to do for his future profession. Not only does this make him unique, but so does the career path he has chosen.

Seagraves became a mortician’s assistant a few months ago when he was with offered a position from his mother’s friend. A mortician is someone who prepares bodies for funerals and may also deliver the bodies from being prepared, to the funeral homes.

It all started when Seagraves was discussing the dissecting quails unit with his mother, and a friend overheard them. He explained to Seagraves that he knew a guy looking for some help and need an apprentice.

Seagraves explained, “The head mortician has a family owned funeral home but all he has is girls and they don’t want the business, so like that, I met the guy and became his apprentice.”

Being mortician involves the surgical removing bodily fluids to preserve the body in a process called embalming. Even after the surgical procedures, the body still has to remain almost the same to be presented to family and friends attending the funeral. Embalming also requires disinfecting the body, inside and out. Other tasks that morticians are sometimes responsible for include assisting in cremations as well as in dressing the body and beautifying the remains for visitation.

Seagraves said, “Honestly the job itself is pretty gruesome, but it’s quite fulfilling and you always leave feeling like a better person. Nothing really bothers me, except the smell perhaps.”

Being a mortician is not an easy job and put’s a lot of pressure on to please the loved ones of the deceased. Not only does one have to be comfortable dealing with death to be a mortician, but they also have to know how to perform the procedures to prepare the bodies and make sure they are looking their best.

Seagraves added, “It’s not the easiest thing, being around dead people, And I won’t pretend that it’s never frustrating, but I enjoy it nonetheless. You always know that you are making someone’s life easier and that you helped them to the best of your ability.

Seagraves has other responsibilities at the funeral home too. He helps empty and prepares the bodies, vacuums, learns how to use the electronics around the funeral home, and manages other aspects of the funeral home. He also takes on an extra role, which is consoling family and friends grieving families in their time of need.

Seagraves added contently, “I plan on making it my lifelong career.”

It is not common to most that someone as young as Seagraves is a part of this profession, but senior classmate and best friend Jake England thinks that the job suits him well.

England explained, ”When he told me about the job offer I couldn’t stop smiling because I thought it was the funniest and most perfect thing for him to do. I didn’t think it was perfect for him because he’s gross, creepy, sad, or any stereotype of a mortician, but because he’s the type of person that could make a sad event, like a lost loved one, a nice memorable moment for the people that lost someone.”

Although being an assistant is time-consuming, Seagraves also participates in the school’s band program and is interested in music theory. His humor and personality have led him to connect with not only the dead but also the living.

England added, “He is funny, weird, sensitive, and has the most contagious laugh. Of course, it’s impossible not to make jokes about it because it’s such a bizarre job for a high schooler, but underneath it, he’s doing it because he understands the hurt someone would be going through and wants to make it a good experience for them to say goodbye.”