Steven grew up in Tucson, Arizona with aspirations to go to college and play soccer. After graduating high school and attending a local community college studying astronomy, Steven decided to enlist in the military to become a pararescueman in October of 2005.

Steven always had a drive and passion to help others, which made his decision to become a pararescueman an easy one. Steven served in ten combat deployments in various operating areas including Afghanistan, Africa, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Over this period, Steven lost over 15 teammates to combat or combat-related circumstances and has himself experienced mental health injuries due to sustained combat operations.