I grew up in the Avenues of Salt Lake City, almost next door to LDS Business College, said, Steve. I got to know some of the professors and employees as they lived in my ward. A friend of mine, whose father worked in maintenance at the college, began inviting me to the dances when I was only a junior in high school. Toward the end of my senior year, I got a job working at the college in maintenance and custodial.
With that kind of relationship, plus the small classes and a scholarship opportunity, it didn't make sense for Steve to go anywhere else after high school graduation. He attended LDSBC a year prior to his LDS mission to Mexico. When he returned, the next chapter in his life started to unfold.
I fell in love with Annalyn, said, Steve. She sat next to me in a business management class and considered me a cute nerd. She liked another guy at first, but the hand of the Lord must have intervened. A mutual friend suggested we make a bet on the outcome of the first test in that class, and the loser would take the other to dinner. Annalyn paid for a great dinner, and the rest 17 years of marriage and five children is history.
Steve graduated from LDS Business College in 1999 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Studies. He married Annalyn and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in finance from Westminster College and his master's degree from Brigham Young University. But it was at LDSBC that Steve received the best glimpse of his future.
I took an accounting class, said Steve, and I was surprised how much I liked it. As I considered other business classes, I was prompted to look into a potential career with financial analysis or accounting.
He felt the same after his mission and eventually landed a job as an accounting clerk at the LDS Humanitarian Center. I was led to inventory management, material resource planning, and eventually, management said Steve. I also fell in love with humanitarian work. I have wanted to serve others since I was young, and that attitude led me to where I am now.
Currently a program specialist for area initiatives for LDS Charities, Steve is a resource to the more than 1,400 local humanitarian initiatives around the world. These are small, individualized humanitarian efforts organized by in-country senior missionary couples in concert with local governmental or charitable organizations.
By myself, my influence is somewhat limited, said Steve. But when I work with the team at LDS Charities, we provide global humanitarian aid and find key partners where together we can change the world. We teach individuals how to build a better tomorrow for themselves and their communities. We try hard to work like the Savior, blessing our Father's children wherever we find them.
While sneaking into dances at LDSBC was a fun challenge for Steve, he said the college also provided an engaging learning environment, good friends, and personal growth. It was a time of great transition.
The support Steve received at LDSBC shaped his future in many ways. It affected everything from my career at LDS Charities to my family vacations with former classmates, he said. I love doing what I can to make a positive difference for others.