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20 • GCU MAGAZ I NE
T
atum Sorrelman sits alone on
her dorm room floor, staring
tearfully into a video camera while
talking about her acute case of
homesickness.
It’s her second week as a Grand Canyon
University freshman, and it’s the second
episode of “Finding Tatum’s Purpose,” a
documentary by GCU.TV, a new digital
video platform showcasing the University
community.
Sorrelman talks bluntly about feeling
alienated. “I’ve been having a hard time
relating to anyone around me right now,
because most of the people I am around, my
roommates, people in my classes, aren’t really
as upset about leaving home as I am. It is
really hard not to have anybody to relate to.”
Thankfully, by the next episode
Sorrelman tells a different story. In a
segment that captures her smiling, rock
climbing and volunteering, she shares
her cure for knee-buckling homesickness:
“It’s important to find people to surround
yourself with, in college and in general, that
have the same set of values and what you
want out of life.”
Sorrelman, a business management
major from Scottsdale, was selected for
the documentary, which will chronicle
in segments her four-year journey from
freshman to graduation.
But her motivation was not to parlay GCU
fame into a movie career. Instead, she hopes to
help others.
“I felt it was my calling to share my story, to let
others know about the stuff I am going through.
By showing how I am dealing with college maybe
will help someone else,” said Sorrelman, the first
in her family to attend college.
She’s braced herself for criticism but is
committed to being an open book.
At least once a week, or whenever
something worthy occurs, Sorrelman sits in
front of her camera and shares an experience, a
Find sports, spiritual life and 'Tatum's Purpose'
on University's new digital video platform
B Y K A R E N F E R N A U
GCU.TV
is on the air