Antelope Intros is a recurring GCU Today feature that introduces some of our new employees to the people around them in a way that is fun and informative. Employees are eligible to be featured in the month following their orientation.
DANISHA MAYFIELD
Job title: University admissions counselor
Job location: Ontario, Calif.
What attracted you to GCU? The culture and the ability to work face to face with high school students to gain knowledge about college and what can help improve their life.
What do you do for fun and where do you find that outlet? I love to play the guitar and sing as well as hike and read. My favorite authors are C.S. Lewis, Andy Stanley and Francis Chan.
What are you passionate about? Education, working with high school students to make better life choices, and showing individuals that they can change their lives and others.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know: I am one of 13 children and I am the guardian of three of my siblings.
What are you most proud of? Rebuilding and remodeling my house. It was remodeled in less than three months. My favorite parts of the house are the dining room and my desk area. I love the dining room because it's where I host dinners and create memories around the dinner table.
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MATTHEW HELTON
Job title: University counselor
Job location: 27th Avenue
What attracted you to GCU? A friend of mine said great things about the University, so I decided to check it out for myself!
What do you do for fun and where do you find that outlet? I like to play volleyball (still looking for a league to join), go disco dancing with my friends and destroy as many bad guys as I can … on my PlayStation. My favorite video game series is The Legend of Zelda, but I am most proud of beating all of the Dark Souls games. They’re ridiculously hard.
What are you passionate about? Music and pizza. Especially pizza. My favorite pizza toppings are pepperoni and black olives -- pretty simple.
What are your favorite places or events in the Valley that you like to visit? I love the water parks around here! My favorite water park is Golfland Sunsplash in Mesa. They have this crazy intense water slide that drops you almost straight down. It’s awesome! And I want to try a driving range soon. I think Taliesin West is pretty awesome as well. The architecture here is so interesting compared to the East Coast.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know: I go by my middle name. When I hear people use my first name, all I can think about is my father.
What are you most proud of? I moved to New York City after graduating from high school in southern Illinois and survived there for 15 years before moving to Phoenix. Yup, pretty proud of that! I moved here to go to Arizona State for graduate school in Music Education but changed my plans, which led me to GCU. I couldn’t be happier.
