A diligent guy with an addictive personality — that’s how many people would describe Chase Mason.

After three years at Millikin University, senior Chase Mason is wrapping up his undergraduate experience with a major in Professional Writing and a minor in Pre-Law. But his sights weren’t always set on law school. 

Born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, Mason’s goal has always been to work hard and save money. 

“I’m from here,” Mason said. “I was born and raised in Decatur. My goal was always to save money, so I went to Richland Community College after high school, and then after two years, I transferred here to Millikin.”

Mason began his college career at Richland Community College with the goal of becoming a teacher. Throughout his time at community college, he realized that teaching wasn’t for him. That’s when, with the help and guidance of his boss, he set forth toward his new goal of going to law school.

“Jamie really pushed me to keep going,” Mason said. “She said, ‘What about law?’ and really pushed that angle. I always had an interest in law, but I never thought I could do that. She really was the driving factor to motivate me to continue my education and be successful.”

Mason met his boss, Jamie Hartman, three years ago when he began working at CVS as a certified pharmacy technician. 

“He’s consistently demonstrated a really exceptional work ethic and professionalism in the workplace,” Hartman said. “He’s really been able to maintain professionalism at the workplace and also integrity. So, you know, if he says that he’s going to do something, he always follows through with it.” 

Throughout his life, whether that be socially, academically, or professionally, Mason has upheld his integrity, personality, work ethic, and diligence.

Which leads him to now. Mason is a senior at Millikin University, participating as an editor for BURST Magazine and a writer and editor in The Decaturian. He also participated in the creation of The Tack as part of a group senior capstone project. 

Originally, Mason was set to graduate a semester early.

“I decided to stay an extra semester to complete my pre-law minor,” Mason said. “My intentions were always just to get in, get out. I just went over everything and decided to stay an extra semester, take moot court, take all the pre-law classes I could.” 

He went on to be awarded runner-up for Most Outstanding Novice Attorney for Moot Court, a statewide competition that simulates courtroom cases. 

“Moot Court was probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had here at Millikin,” Mason said. 

Moot Court is not for the faint of heart. It requires application, persistence, and hard work. But it’s also an opportunity to learn.

“Be open to different ideas, different angles,” Mason said. “The competition is multiple rounds, so after each round, you get a little feedback, and you run with it. Every time I went back to the hotel, I was writing my argument all over again, and just kept working on it, trying to perfect it.” 

Moot Court isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires diligence and dedication — two qualities that Chase Mason has undoubtedly exhibited here at Millikin. 

Robert Money, a professor of philosophy and law here at Millikin, has seen these qualities firsthand. 

“He’s diligent,” Money said. “He does a lot of good writing. His assignments, his forum posts, and his legal argument posts in Moot Court did really well in demonstrating good digestion of the material, but also the ability to turn it into a persuasive argument that he was charged with making.” 

Writing has always been one of Mason’s strong suits. Originally, his dream was to become a screenwriter, and he continues to write scripts in his free time to this day. 

“My dream growing up would be to become a writer, like a screenwriter for movies and television, or go on to LA and become a director and live that dream,” he said. “But it’s a dream for a reason, and you have to think smart, and so I want to use my minor and go to law school and help represent people.”  

With screenwriting being just a dream of his, Mason put his writing skills to use in other ways, even bettering them through joining The Decaturian in his senior year. For The Decaturian, he is often found writing for his “Cut To The Chase” column, consisting of various movie and television reviews. 

As a movie and television connoisseur, he takes pride in constantly expanding his movie and television tastes. Some of his favorites include It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Succession, Joker, and Django Unchained. 

But when he’s not writing, watching the Packers game, working, or catching up the new releases at AMC, he can be found at LSB with his friends on their Thursday nights, playing pool or belting John Denver’s “Take Me Home Country Roads” or “Hooked on the Feeling.”

He’s often found as the other half of a duet at LSB, performing alongside his best friend, Brennan Kunstman, junior English Professional Writing and Physical Education major.

“We got forced into a friendship,” Kunstman said. “I came into Millikin with both my advisors knowing kind of how I was. They knew I just needed to get put on the right path. So Chase was one of my dad’s, they said, and we became good friends. He made sure I was doing everything, took good care of me, and then eventually our friendship became this unbeatable bond.” 

Mason isn’t only a movie and television connoisseur, he’s a music fanatic as well. 

“I love Kanye,” he said. “I love Frank Sinatra. I love 60s music. I love old music, movies, and TV shows. I’m just fascinated with that world.” 

While often considering himself a homebody, Mason sure spends his time exploring and expanding his taste of the arts, which fuels his old soul. 

Mason has always been a quiet person during his time at Millikin. For those who don’t know him, he often appears very reserved. 

“When I first met Chase, this guy didn’t talk,” Kunstman said. “He was very quiet, very shy. And nowadays he’s a butterfly. He’s very much adopted that and I feel like me and him worked off of each other really well.” 

But despite his shy to outgoing pipeline, one thing has remained constant. His mother, Susan Mason, described him as a very kind person. 

“He’s always had such a big heart. He was always a nice guy.” 

It’s clear that Millikin has helped Mason emerge from his shell, just as much as he’s helped better the people around him. 

After graduation, Chase Mason plans to attend law school. While his dream is entertainment law, he plans to use law school as an opportunity to settle on a concentration that will fuel his future. 

Reflecting on his time at Millikin, he leaves with a piece of advice to Millikin students, both current and upcoming. 

“Join a club,” he said. “I don’t care what club it is. It could be a sorority. It could be a fraternity. Just join something. Make sure to give yourself a reason to stay on campus for hours at a time, to meet people, and just become a community.”