All-American Handyman

May 28, 2013 12:00 PM ET

Beyond the Apron

While in college, Sonne quickly learned that a traditional classroom environment was not for her and followed her adventurous spirit to a cruise ship for work. A blessing in disguise, in the form of lost paperwork, kept her from returning to the ship while at port in Maui, Hawaii. That unexpected roadblock ultimately guided her back to her passion as a “handyman” with a large tile project on an outdoor patio.

A couple years later back on the mainland, Sonne honed her skills by learning to build a house from the foundation up and tackling flood and fire restoration projects. Her area of expertise and passion for helping others made her a natural fit at The Home Depot (#1501) in Aurora, Co., where she’s worked as a lead generator and lumber specialist. Her love of DIY and helping people achieve their dreams made her the perfect Home Depot associate.

One of Sonne’s greatest accomplishments includes the title of HGTV’s “All-American Handyman” – and first female winner the show has ever crowned. But her adventurous spirit won’t rest easy with her big win…she’s already set out to best leverage her skills and publicity.

Learn more about what's next for Sonne at http://beyondtheapron.tumblr.com/