Steven Sorensen:  

To quote my favorite author, Henry David Thoreau, "Things do not change. We change." This quote inspired my soul at a very young age. My journey began in a small rural ranching community in the Sandhills of Central Nebraska. The Town of Stapleton Nebraska, population 350 including cattle, is a place sheltered from the ¿outside¿ world. The community seems to operate on its own standards and belief systems. Though I did not realize or appreciate it then, but my upbringing in the pious rural community where neighbor helps neighbor, is a cornerstone by which I define myself. Stapleton taught me much about character, truth, honor, loyalty and community. These elements helped develop the strength in character to embrace change and leave Stapleton Nebraska to seek greater adventures, passions and experiences in the world beyond. I believe that it was J.R.R. Tolkien that wrote "All those who wander are not lost.¿ Though I have at times felt lost in my journey, I believe that everything in this world happens for a reason. I have wandered extensively throughout the years following my departure from rural Nebraska. My journeys have taken me from New York City to Minneapolis Minnesota, from Boston to San Francisco and back again. I had aspired to be a world renowned playwright and actor while studying Theater at New York University¿s Tisch School of Drama. This dream did not come to pass. Instead, I had the opportunity to shape and genuinely care for two amazing children as an Au Pair in Connecticut just outside New York City. During this time, I also developed a creative and gifted program called Odyssey of the Mind in the local Middle School and High School with great personal and professional success. I then switched gears to the wonderful world of hospitality with a move to Minneapolis. During my extended wandering in this field, I held most every position from a Front Desk Clerk to a General Manager to a Corporate Director of Revenue Management. The hospitality industry enabled me to travel extensively and see much of the world for which I had not previously dreamed possible. I left the hospitality industry 2 years ago after having achieved my ¿dream¿ job as a Ma...Expand for more