The Trinity Prep soccer team ended their 2023 season with a bang by winning the state championship. For Trinity Prep videographer Jordan Johnson, this was just the beginning of the job. That night, Johnson worked feverishly to create a celebratory video to post on the school’s official Instagram page before the next day. It seemed like the obstacles were endless. First, the stadium closed, forcing him to move to a coffee shop. The next thing Johnson knew, his computer shut down. Then to top it all off, Instagram unexpectedly cut out a chunk of his video. Finally, at 1 a.m., with the relief of a student finally submitting their big paper, he posted the video.
When Trinity Prep students look back on their time in high school, the first people that pop into their head might be an inspiring teacher, a supportive coach or perhaps the school chaplain. While they all deserve appreciation, it is easy to forget those who work around the clock behind the scenes to make student life better, whether it be the security guard, helpdesk specialist or videographer.
It is not just taking pictures. Jordan Johnson is responsible for many things related to the school’s social media, from producing video marketing to creating event recaps.
Johnson has always been fascinated with film and music, two reasons why he loves his job at Trinity.
“I grew up doing film,” Johnson said. “Every time I get the chance to make something more cinematic, I think it’s fun. And then I play the drums at my church, and that is just like a love for music. And then I do stuff like filming small skits with my friends.”
One of the best parts of his job, he says, is getting to see student life up close and working with Trinity students.
“The students are so unique [to me] because I grew up in the public school system,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to go in and see that magic on a day to day and be able to capture it and show it to the world. I just try to give everybody the experience of what I would have wanted in high school if we had an Instagram or social media or if we had somebody walking around that is here to do videos.”
When a student’s computer breaks or a teacher can not log in, helpdesk support specialist Jeffrey Gutierrez is there for the rescue. One day, Gutierrez could be investigating why a student’s computer does not turn on. The next day, he could be helping chaplain Father Russell Wohlever behind the scenes with setting up sound, videos, lighting and the stage for chapel.
“Some people think it’s just easy,” Gutierrez said. “And that it’s just a few clicks of the button and things are fixed. And it’s not always that. Sometimes you got to dig a hole. You got to dig again and dig again in order to find what the root cause of any problem is.”
When he’s not fixing tech issues at school, Gutierrez enjoys a wide variety of hobbies, whether it be gaming, computers, or music.
“I play Pokemon Go, I play Fortnite, I was a gamer growing up,” Gutierrez said. “I’m a computer nerd. I’ve built my own computers, like four of them. I’m also a music nerd going to music festivals. I travel for them sometimes, going to other states in California, and I went to New York.”
Although Gutierrez has a Master’s degree in business administration as well as a Bachelor’s in marketing, he has always loved working with computers and solving puzzles, which happen to fit perfectly with what he does.
“I’ve been messing around with computers my entire life, fixing them, and reprogramming them and learning the ins and outs about them,” Gutierrez said. “So that’s when I figured out what I wanted to do.”
From serving in the military to working in sales, security guard Scott Cassell worked in many fields before finding himself here at Trinity. The life of the security guard certainly is not easy. Cassell is constantly checking incoming traffic, patrolling the perimeter and attending school activities to ensure everything and everyone is safe.
“It’s no joke,” Cassell said. “Even though it’s a school setting, we do live in a day and age where things have happened in the past and could still possibly happen. And that’s why we’re here.”
Before he was a security guard, Cassell served as a corrections officer in the military, worked in sales and even tutored students in math.
Despite the job being tough, Cassell still enjoys his job.
“I enjoy it because I just like helping people,” Cassell said. “That’s it. And that’s what this job mainly calls for is assisting and making sure that everybody’s safe. Everybody’s really nice. It’s almost like a giant big family too, and I just want to make sure that my extended family here is safe.”
The overall Trinity experience is greatly enhanced by the hard work and services of these Trinity staff members, even if they sometimes go unnoticed. With this in mind, it is important to appreciate all that they have done.
