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.
TOPHER WARRINGTON
Job title: Online enrollment counselor, College of Nursing and Health Care Professions
Job location: Peoria
What attracted you to GCU? The mission to build global citizens, critical thinkers, effective communicators and responsible leaders within the context of our Christian heritage. I see this as a desperate need for the youth of today, and I wanted to be a part of helping people become part of that heritage. It’s exciting to be part of an organization that helps the next generation go out in the world and show the secular community that Christians are responsible leaders, effective communicators and critical thinkers and work well within the community.
What do you do for fun and where do you find that outlet? I’m writing some short stories that quickly are becoming novels, and I design websites for a nonprofit organization I founded. I also have my personal website that I update when the need to design hits me.
What are you passionate about? I am passionate about seeing the Church, the body of Christ, being unified in purpose and making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). That is why I founded The Christian Chain a few years ago, to help provide avenues that would help churches work together to further God’s kingdom here on earth.
What are your favorite places or events in the Valley that you like to visit? The splash pads around the Valley have been a favorite of my wife and me. It was an inexpensive and fun activity to do with our little boy while keeping my then-pregnant wife cool in the heat of the Phoenix summer sun.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know: I am an ordained minister, though I have never held a staff position at a church. I have wanted to be a minister since I was a little kid. After my ordination, my grandfather gave me the note that I wrote to him in church when I was 8, which told him that I wanted to be a pastor when I grew up. I couldn’t believe that he had kept it all those years.
What are you most proud of? My children. Though they are still young (20 months and two months), every day they amaze me with what they are learning and how they are growing.
—
JAILEN MASON
Job title: Doctoral specialist
Job location: Tempe
What attracted you to GCU? The culture and hearing about that culture from friends and their friends who work here. They loved the way they were treated, and the positive attitude was not comparable to anyplace they had worked before. That was something I was looking for as a new graduate starting a career.
What do you do for fun and where do you find that outlet? I hang out with my family. I like to go on walks with my husband and our dog to dog parks near our home in the Deer Valley area. I also love trying new places to eat. I was actually a staff writer for a local newspaper and wrote articles that reviewed local eateries. My favorites were Rock Springs Cafe, north of Phoenix, and Heart and Soul Cafe in Cave Creek. Their homemade food and personal recipes are amazing.
What are you passionate about? I am passionate about being happy and making others just as happy. It makes the world a better place. When a person is surrounded by happiness, it tends to be contagious.
What are your favorite places or events in the Valley that you like to visit? I love going to local events such as Barktoberfest for my dog Atticus, fall festivals that have apple or pumpkin picking, and outdoor markets with fresh produce that I can use for baking. I also never miss the Arizona State Fair.
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know: I love, love, love horror-related anything. It all started when I read “Goosebumps” as a kid, and then as I got older I got into reading anything by Stephen King or his son Joe Hill. My favorite book by far is “NOS4A2.” When it comes to movies my favorites are the classic 1980s slashers such as “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th.”
What are you most proud of? I am proud of where I have come and how far I have come, and GCU has been a big part of that. I am a first-generation college graduate, and my family and I could not be more proud.
