Category: Features
Casey Orr (’08) | Teacher Education
When Casey Orr stepped out her front door on a cold day in December and noticed the temperature, her first thought wasn’t of the icy roads or a snow-covered car. Instead, she remembered a little girl in her third-grade class whose coat was too small. Her automatic response was to look for a coat of … Continued
Freedom Stones founded by ACU grads to fight human trafficking
Some are 12-year-old girls who have been prostituted in bars and brothels in downtown Bangkok. Some are young boys who have been forced into the fishing trade on the lakes of Ghana. Some are women who know they cannot return to their villages with the stain of prostitution attached to their names. Some are simply … Continued
Justin Whiteley (’16) | M.A. in Christian Ministry
Justin Whiteley thought getting a college degree at ACU was an impossible opportunity. Coming from a single parent home in which his mother and sisters didn’t graduate high school, he was determined to make his family proud by becoming the first person in his family to graduate from college. Justin’s grandparents were a big … Continued
Leticia Cisneros (’15) | M.S. in Social Work
The passion to be a voice for those with no voice led Leticia Cisneros to pursue her Master of Science in Social Work degree at Abilene Christian University. “It became clear to me during my final year of my undergrad that my goals, visions and hopes to impact individuals with disabilities would best be achieved … Continued
Danny Mercer (’13) | Doctor of Ministry
For some, the journey to victory can be pretty grueling. Such was the case for Danny Mercer, preaching minister for Friendswood Church of Christ near Houston. After suffering from a cancerous brain tumor, he beat the disease and completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at ACU in 2013. Mercer was two chapters from completing his … Continued
Cliff Pruett (’14) | Biochemistry
Like many students who enter college, Cliff Pruett didn’t really know what he wanted to do. He was drawn to the field of medicine and thought perhaps he would find his calling in a research lab. “It wasn’t until the summer before my junior year when I did a research internship at University of Kansas … Continued
Kelvin Kelley (’18) | Communication
Kelvin Kelley has a passion to see students succeed. The son of a theology professor and a nurse administrator, Kelvin’s Abilene childhood was filled with all things ACU – meeting students, attending events such as Sing Song and visiting campus. When his father was studying for his doctorate degree, you could often find Kelvin … Continued
De’Andre Brown (’18) | Kinesiology
ACU football is in De’AndreBrown’s blood. The junior running back’s father, Eric Brown (’92), suited up for the Wildcats in the late 1980s and early ’90s, and De’Andre was raised on his stories of Wildcat football. But when it came time to pick a college, the deciding factor was ACU’s commitment to its Christian mission. … Continued
Emily Howe (’20) | Chemistry
Emily Howe thought she had her life planned out. She was all set to pursue her studies as a musician, arriving at ACU on a music scholarship and playing violin with the ACU orchestra. Her plans changed, however, after she injured her shoulder one Christmas break. Emily could no longer play the violin. That … Continued