The Abilene Christian University Admissions office launched a new podcast – “Welcome to ACU: Stories from Wildcats Around the World” – to help introduce prospective students to the university. The first episode was released Nov. 1.
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ACU students Allysa Wiley, sophomore psychology major from Spring, and Ben Mercer, junior social work major from Harker Heights, host the podcast, and it’s overseen by Gabriella Silva, enrollment marketing creative project manager, and Darci Armstrong (’14), director of enrollment marketing and events. The podcast is available on Spotify and can be found on the Welcome to ACU Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page.
“This idea came to life after sensing that there was a need for student voices and stories to be heard in an easily accessible way,” Silva said. “Not only did we want to hear from current students, but from ACU alumni, faculty, staff and campus guests as well.”
The target audience of the podcast is prospective students who want to learn more about ACU culture and college life as a whole. Various guest speakers will visit the podcast to speak about various ACU programs, student experiences and more.
“We’re interested in hearing authentic stories from ACU Wildcats – wherever they are in the world and their lives – and how ACU has influenced them on their journeys,” Silva said.
Another primary goal of the podcast is to connect ACU alumni with current students to deepen relationships and remind them of the community they experienced as students. Student-run and local businesses will also be given space on each episode to promote their products and services to support student endeavors and the Abilene community.
“This podcast is meant to connect all of us,” Silva said. “We hope listeners enjoy and relate to the stories others have to tell. We hope people will listen and engage with it and let us us know who they’d like to see as guests on the show.”
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Other ACU-affiliated podcasts include ACUTV’s The Inside Source, a sports-driven podcast with professional guests from around the country bringing insight to each episode, and Convos with the Cats, an inside look at how ACU Athletics operates.
The Inside Source has created 124 episodes since its launch in 2022. ACUTV employees collaborate on each podcast and invite special guests into episodes to create round-table discussions on the most notable sports topics of the week.
Convos with the Cats has 17 episodes with different coaches and athletics faculty and staff on each episode. The show was created in 2021 and offers an avenue for Wildcats fans to learn more about how athletics operates.
Learn more about the ACU Admissions and “Welcome to ACU” on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
— Connor Mullins
Nov. 1, 2023