Steve Larson has been working in the IT field since receiving his degreein international relations from the center in 1987. Larson also received his MPAin 1990 from the Marriott School. “Nearly every contract and position I have been involved with had something of an international flavor to it,” he said. “I spent nearly seven years in Japan as an IT consultant, returning three years ago to get an MS degree from Mercer University in Georgia.”
A trip to Hawaii led to a fortuitous meeting. “I married a third generation Japanese girl from Hawaii, whom I met while on vacation there. She also served a mission to Japan, so living in Japan wasn’t too hard on her,” Larson quipped.
Larson remembers several classes in particular that have benefited him. “My classes with an international focus helped immensely, especially the electives I took in anthropology and geography,” he said. “And I highly recommend taking the Religions of the World class; it gave me an understanding of why certain peoples think and believe the way they do. I have found that many folks overseas view Americans as very ethnocentric. Having Americans working overseas is the best cure for that.”
Larson recently accepted a position as international NOC engineer with Symantec. He and his wife, Olivia, live in Eugene, Oregon.