UCM Middle School Education Major Building Connections Through Teaching & Coaching

Middle School Education major Trenton Sorrells will graduate with his bachelor’s degree during Spring 2026 Commencement.

 

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The University of Central Missouri offers a community of support, allowing students to redefine what’s possible as they forge a path to their future. With help from faculty and staff, UCM students are empowered to be the heroes of their own stories and as we prepare for Spring 2026 Commencement, the News Bureau is shining a spotlight on some of those stories.

 

Trenton Sorrells may have taken a nontraditional path through higher education, but he’ll be crossing the finish line with a bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Missouri’s (UCM) commencement this weekend.

Sorrells, a Middle School Education-Social Studies major from Kansas City, Missouri, attended community college after graduating high school in 2019, but he left once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He worked in sales and marketing until he decided to continue his education at UCM.

 

“I love helping people, especially those who are in need,” he said. “Obviously, with education, you're a lot of different things – you're a teacher, you're a mentor, you're a role model, all of the above, which I love, and I can always encourage people to be the best version of themselves on and off the field.

“I think history is important,” he added. “It's always good to know the things, why it happened and the how behind it. And also, it's always good to know history, the good and the bad, so we get to repeat the good and we don't repeat the bad.”

Christi Richardson, Ed.D., assistant professor and program coordinator for Middle School Education, saw things really click for Sorrells when he switched from Secondary Education to Middle School Education during his junior year. She said he has the right energy for that age group and knows how to connect with them while still maintaining structure.

 

“I describe myself as a Swiss Army Knife because I do a lot of different things in the classroom,” Sorrells explained. “I could be a comedian in the classroom. I could be very serious. Being a teacher, you're wearing a lot of different hats – you're wearing the role model hat, you're wearing the teacher hat, the learning hat.” 

Richardson said the term accurately describes Sorrells. In his field experiences, he was able to step into different situations and handle them, whether it was a schedule change, a field trip or something out of the ordinary, like testing days. 

 

“One thing I kept hearing from his cooperating teachers during field experience was how quickly students connected with him,” Richardson said. “They were excited to see him and wanted to work with him, which says a lot. He made the effort to be present in those everyday moments too, not just during instruction. That included going on a field trip, sitting with students at lunch or talking with them about football and other shared interests. Those are the kinds of small things that really build relationships, and that seems to come naturally for Trenton.”

Outside of the classroom, Sorrells spent plenty of time with UCM Football working in defensive quality control. He knew his days on the football field were behind him when he arrived at UCM, but he was ready to help from the sidelines.

“From game week, you're basically breaking down film, formations, key players and stuff like that, so that on game day, everything is right,” Sorrells said. “There is a lot of detail in those things, which I think also helps me in the classroom and outside the classroom. You've got to be very detail-oriented to be a coach.”

The future teacher said he feels more than ready thanks to UCM’s Education program. Sorrells said it was the hands-on experiences that prepared him, whether it was observing classrooms, visiting different school environments or student teaching at Warrensburg Middle School. Sorrells said it was hard to name just a few supportive faculty members at UCM because so many in the College of Education have helped him along the way.

“Obviously, we have nice facilities and everything else that comes along with it, but it's ultimately the people, and the people of Warrensburg are awesome,” Sorrells said, noting that Warrensburg has been the perfect place to grow as a person. “I couldn't thank them enough for what they've done. Also, my professors – they want to see you excel in the classroom and outside the classroom, which I really enjoy.”

Sorrells said it’s been a long journey to earn his degree. As the first in his family to graduate from college, he said that his freshman self would be very grateful to see where he is today.

 

“Younger me would say, just keep being you. That's the biggest thing. Just be you,” Sorrells said. “Just keep being you, be resilient each and every day. Even when it's tough, there's always more to gain from it. So that's probably what I'm telling my freshman self – just keep going.”

 

       

Check the News Bureau daily from May 4-8, as we share stories of UCM graduates who are redefining what’s possible and shaping the future, one step across the stage at a time.