​​​Patrick Michael Sorgaard was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, at the age of 10. He faced many challenges in his life, including struggles with communication, severe sensory dysfunction, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and "face blindness." These challenges, along with poor social skills, made him a target of severe bullying. Experiencing a traumatic first year at a university, Patrick returned home and spent six years recovering. He worked on developing coping mechanisms while slowly getting back on track with school, ultimately graduating with honors at the University of California, Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in mathematics.

Patrick currently attends California State University, East Bay and is working towards a master's degree in statistics with a 4.0 GPA. He is a member of the American Statistical Association and the Gold Key International Honor Society. Patrick has worked over the summer with the California State University, East Bay Foundation to help students improve their math skills. Patrick plans to pursue a doctoral degree in statistics and become a professor in order to help students struggling in math.