Mauricio Sanchez

Born and raised in Merida, Venezuela a town located in the Andes mountain range, Mauricio is the son of Manuel and Rosarito Sanchez-Hernandez, local hoteliers there. He is youngest of three brothers; the eldest Marlon, runs a popular bar in Merida and middle child, Julio, is an academic going for his PhD in history in the United States. Growing up in the busy household, Mauricio delighted in entertaining family and friends with ceaseless humor and constant adolescent antics - anything to draw a crowd and yield laughter or a response from whatever audience might be at hand. Early on, he privately dreamed of becoming an actor, while his family encouraged him to enter the hotel business or any other profession that would actually enable him to make a living. Perhaps his first `big break' was his arrival in Des Moines, Iowa USA as a 17 year old exchange student. There he found another bustling family life with the Muelhaupt family who quickly embraced the young student from Venezuela as o