If there is one thing I’ve gotten out of this time more than anything else it is that being a part of the efforts here in St. Louis to strengthen our region puts you in a position to define what it is your life work will be as this is mostly uncharted territory. In most cases jobs define the person, a person who is an accountant does accounting, but here most peoples jobs reflect who they are, what they value and the role they would like to play in this ecosystem. Obviously they have people to answer to and tasks they have to complete but it is well balanced with self-started projects. That’s pretty much exactly how I work. It’s typically really hard for me to work for others, serving the needs for someone as a living doesn’t interest me, but here I think the people who show promise are given the tools to make their vision a part of the partnerships mission. I’ve always thought that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I still do, but I also realize that working for others can also be rewarding. It was also great to spend m time working on something that I really cared about. I’m not saying I’ve made my life choice but I can see myself dedicating my life to making St. Louis a better place to “Live, Work and Play”