Daren Sorrick, 47, Girard, has spent many years helping other people achieve their goals. Now he has attained one of his own.
He is a May 2008 PSU graduate with a bachelor of science in general studies.
“I started college in June 1979 and I’ve taken a whole lot of classes,” said Sorrick, regional sales manager at KSEK Radio 99.1. “I think I’ve earned about 170 credit hours.”
He has changed majors several times. “I started in psychology, then went to business, then to art,” Sorrick said. “And then I went back to psychology.”
He recently called the university, learned that he was only four hours short of a bachelor of science in general studies, and decided to go for it.
His education had been broken up by a series of jobs. “I worked for the ambulance service in Crawford County and in Grove, Okla.,” Sorrick said. “I went to Panama City, Fla., then to Fort Scott Mercy Hospital when they started their ambulance up.”
Another job was with Rescare in St. Paul, which assisted persons with developmental disabilities to adjust from being in a facility to living in the community.
“We took people out of a facility, which had closed, and put them in their own homes,” Sorrick said. “Some of them didn’t know they could go to the refrigerator to get their own food. It was a hard time for them to adjust to their new freedom, but it has worked out really well.”
He also operated an art gallery and frame shop for 1 1/2 years in Girard, and then went to work for SKIL (Southeast Kansas Independent Living).
“I’m coming up on my sixth anniversary with SKIL,” Sorrick said. “I’ve kind of found a home here.”
SKIL is devoted to helping those with disabilities achieving the best life possible, and has proven to be a good fit for Sorrick. At 24 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is marked by wide mood swings, from periods of great joy, enthusiasm and energy to deep depression.
“I’m open about it, and hope to dispel any stigma associated with it,” Sorrick said. “It’s been a challenge, but the past few years I’ve been doing really well.”
He was a SKIL case manager for a time, and then worked with a program that took traditional jobs and set them up in telework situations so people could work from their homes.
“The grant for that program ran out in February of last year, and I was transferred here to the radio station,” Sorrick said.
SKIL owns the station, which has 99.1 Rock and 13.40 AM, as well as another station, 93.5 in Parsons. The Pittsburg studios are located in the back of the Love Bubble Retail Store at Meadowbrook Mall.
Sorrick previously did much of his SKIL work out of his home office. “I’ve gone from that atmosphere to dealing with the public all the time,” he said. “It’s been tough, quite a transition, but I love the people here and really enjoy it. People here are very attentive to me, and my direct supervisor, Lynn Meredith, is a great guy and very supportive.”
Shari Coatney, SKIL president, had praise for Sorrick as well.
“Daren has made his life in helping other people and bringing them up,” she said. “It’s wonderful that he’s gone back to school, gotten his degree and been helping people along the way. He’s a wonderful asset to SKIL anywhere we put him, and it’s good to see him achieve this for himself. I can’t express how proud we are of Daren.”
Even more proud, if possible, is his older brother, David Sorrick. “My little brother is my hero,” he said.
The new graduate said he might do some master’s degree courses, perhaps in psychology or human resource management.
“I love the campus,” Sorrick said. “It really makes you feel good to be at PSU.”
GIRARD —
