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Feature News How Do You Use The Christian Liberal Arts In Your Daily Professional Life?

Danielle (Gehrke) Philpott ’14 graduated from NCU with a bachelor’s degree in business management. During her time on campus, Philpott played softball, was president of the Association of Northwest Christian University Students and participated in the Center for Leadership and Ethics’ mentorship program. Her mentor was Dari-Mart Executive Pat Straube. “Questions requiring an ethical response and outcome come up multiple times a day in the real estate industry,” said Philpott, a broker for Keller Williams Realty, Inc. in Eugene, Oregon. “Every deal must be a win-win or no deal. I know if I keep my faith and trust in God, everything will go well.” NCU’s small classes and intimate campus environment were keys to her success on campus and after graduation. “We had professors and community mentors who cared about our education and guided us to become leaders in the community,” said Philpott, a Marist Catholic High School graduate and spouse of Calvin Philpott '13. “I am proud of my NCU education.” Calvin Anderson ’17 has gone from launching three-pointers on the Morse Event Center hardwood to opening doors to rest and relaxation for some of the nation’s best sports teams. Anderson is the Sports Travel Manager for the Graduate Eugene, formerly the Hilton Eugene. With its university theme, the Graduate Eugene is a unique property for the local market. During his five years at the hotel, he has facilitated relationships and agreements with a growing number of PAC-12 athletic teams that come to the area to compete against teams at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. He is also involved in the hospitality planning for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field and for the 2021 IAAF World Track and Field Championships to be hosted at Hayward Field in

Eugene. “NCU was a terrific experience,” said Anderson, a Horizon Christian High School graduate from Portland whose bachelor’s degree is in pastoral ministry. “I learned so much about how to work with people from all backgrounds as well as how to think critically and present my ideas professionally. The most important thing I learned at NCU is how to keep Jesus at the center of all that I am as a friend, husband, and business person. By doing so, I can make a great impact in my community and help all benefit from doing business together.”

While on campus, an injury cut short his basketball career, but Anderson was involved in other campus activities. Most importantly, he met his wife at NCU, Annie (Tunstill) Anderson ’18.

Britni (Steiling) D’Eliso ’11, M.A. ’15 left a big impact on the NCU campus. Originally from Albany, Oregon, as an undergraduate she immersed herself in many activities, but particularly those related to social justice. D’Eliso was the founder of the annual Embrace The Community Day when NCU students, faculty, and staff are divided into teams assigned to work at a local nonprofit agency for an afternoon. ETC Day, as it has become to be known, is a staple every fall to involve students in volunteer activities.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communications (public speaking) and a minor in Christian ministry, she worked for the Lane County Health and Human Services Department for several years. Recently, D’Eliso took her experience as a service provider to Trillium Behavioral Health in Eugene, where she is a mental health care manager, working with some of the area’s most vulnerable citizens. Working similarly to a hotel concierge, she assists mentally ill patients to navigate a complex system of services and then traverse the gaps in programs and funding so they receive the care they need and deserve.

“Having a foundation of Christian education bolsters compassion and helps to avoid professional burn out,” D’Eliso said. “It was the new ideas and thought provoking conversations on campus that guided my identity development and, today, help me manage ethical dilemmas that can sometimes come with working with people in a system that is underfunded and understaffed.”

D’Eliso, and husband Mike '10, a former NCU admissions representative, are active in ministry at CitySalt in Eugene. Mike is an assistant pastor and Britni is a member of the leadership team.

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125 Best Things About Northwest Christian

We want to hear from you! We want to know what you think are the best things about attending Northwest Christian. Maybe it’s the Bash-Whisler Bible Reading Competition. Maybe it is the cutting and then twinning of the ivy. Maybe it’s meeting your spouse on campus. It could be anything that made your time at Northwest Christian meaningful and fun. Once we hear from you, we will publish the 125 Best Things About Northwest Christian in an upcoming magazine as we prepare to celebrate the University’s 125th Anniversary. Send what you believe is best about Northwest Christian to Pat Walsh, Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications at pwalsh@nwcu.edu.

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