The Life of Ian

On September 14, 1985, Ian Sorensen was born in Provo, Utah to Wayne and Terri Sorensen and became the first of four children. Ian only lived there a short period of time and then moved to California, leaving behind Grandparents as well as many Aunts, Uncles and cousins. This along with his love of BYU Sports gives him many excuses to return to Utah often.

Landing finally in Poway, California, with his family at the age of 6 where he enjoyed the small community feel until his mission. Ian enjoys many sports, but mostly played little league baseball and lacrosse during High School.

School was a struggle early on and in fifth grade he switched out of public school into a home school program called B.F.A., or Benjamin Franklin Academy. There he had a teacher named Mrs. Robertson who encouraged Ian in his love of drawing, combined with note taking, and soon found that the two, meshed together, helped increase his desire to do well in school. She especially opened his mind to history which remains his subject of choice as he studies at BYU Idaho.

After several years of home school Ian enrolled in a full time Christian School in his community where he formed several solid friendships that have remained in tact and helped him through the difficult High School Years. This school only went to 8th grade so he attended Poway High School for the full four years, maintaining good grades, playing Lacrosse, and eventually finding a new passion in the art of film making.

With his good friends by his side they accomplished several short films that made their way into the San Diego County Fair and even took 2nd place at a Local Film Festival. Ian helped to film several school functions like choir concerts and student body plays.

Also while in his early years of High School, Ian participated in a punk rock band they named Sonic Disarray. Joined by his best friend Brandon Ballard, they composed several songs into a CD titled Short of a Deck. Ian was the lead singer and enjoyed playing at several shows. With the demands of High School they were forced to call it quits.

In September of 2004 Ian received a mission call to the Brussels, Belgium/Netherlands Mission. He learned French and spent his time in Belgium and Northern France. History had taught Ian to be weary of the French, but serving them taught him to love them. He also loves much of the French culture including food, Christmas music, and singing French hymns.

Upon arriving back home January of 2006 Ian promptly enrolled at BYU Idaho and left in February where he then grew to love Idaho so much he stayed on through the Fall (during his off track) to work and enjoy college life.

He really enjoyed his time at BYU Idaho and eventually graduated in December 2010. The time spent in Rexburg, Idaho while studying were very eventful considering the many life changes such as marriage, children, friendships, work, and now graduation. Sadly, this season ended and it came time to move on. Graduate school was next up on the agenda.

In order to get into graduate school in the US, you have to take the GRE--a standardized entry level exam. The problem with the exam is that it is not specific to what you studied. If you want to get into business, medical or law school you take a very specific exam that tests your knowledge in relation to these fields; however, if you are outside of those sort of professions then you take the general knowledge GRE. So, Ian took the GRE. Despite positive practice exams, his final score was disappointing. This presented us with a problem: In order to get in to school you have to pass the exam--period. That called for a team huddle.

After much deliberation, pontification, and inspiration, Ian began looking into studying abroad. As he looked into schooling in other countries he discovered that they only required his final transcripts as well as recommendations from instructors, and these were all of his strongest points. Quickly he found three schools in England that caught his attention, and in a flurry of excitement and uncertainty he settled on attending the University of Sheffield located in Sheffield England. He was accepted into the university without any hassels. The next phase of education soon began.

Ian and his family moved from Rexburg Idaho to Poway California for the summer of 2011 in order to gain some work experience working in the city manager's office at the City of Poway. This would prove to be a great opportunity for Ian and his family as he made some lasting connections and learned some new skills. The city manager personally gave him a glowing reference letter for future schooling and employment.

Next, the family moved to Orlando Florida to spend time with Cristina's family in preparation for their departure. This was a very relaxing period before the storm of moving to another country.

For one year, from September 2011 - September 2012, he studied politics at the University of Sheffield, and completed his studies by submitting a 14,000 word dissertation (56 pages worth of material). The time spend in England was relatively short in the chronology of events, yet it had the most profound impact on himself, as well as his entire family. The Sheffield 3rd ward in particular became a massive boon amidst the uncertainty of living abroad with no immediate connections. In fact, leaving Sheffield after the completion of his studies would prove rather sad because of the friendships engendered.

The next phase of life hinges on the all important 'job search'. His plans for a career center on using his knowledge and experience of history, politics, international relations, and analytical skills in the realm of US foreign diplomacy. Naturally, his first choice lies within the US Department of State. He has applied to serve as a foreign service officer which generally posts him somewhere in the world representing American values and ideals, while trying to understand the cultures and ideals of others throughout the world.