
Category: Features


ACU students fill their summer serving, learning around the world
Summer has come to an end, and the ACU campus is again bustling with activity. While some students took time off to relax with their families, many Wildcats spent their summer serving and learning. Here are just a few of the activities our students engaged in over the summer, ranging from international mission trips to … Continued

Repurposed leather from Southwest Airlines becomes symbol of hope for Costa Rican village
What can you do with leather from old airplane seats? Students in ACU’s Social Enterprise Consulting class in the College of Business Administration are working with entrepreneurs in Costa Rica to find out, and in the process they are helping change lives. Ten students traveled to Costa Rica over Spring Break to work with Centro … Continued

Third-grade teacher becomes inadvertent Instagram influencer
By day, Katelyn (McLarty ’14) Cole is an elementary school teacher, wrangling third-graders for the Northwest ISD in Fort Worth, Texas. But in her off time, the ACU alumna has become a popular Instagram influencer with more than 60,000 followers who share her passion for books. An avid reader – she made her way through … Continued

Nursing, engineering students turn classwork into real-world missions experience
In a country where more than 50 percent of the population lives in poverty and an estimated 150,000 children are orphans, hope is a precious commodity. A group of nursing and engineering students from ACU traveled to Honduras in May to work with Living Hope, a nonprofit ministry focusing on families, children and abandoned or … Continued

Students lend a hand in Nicaragua with Wildcat Academics on Mission program
Grace Russell (’21) stepped out of her comfort zone to travel to Nicaragua last summer on a combination study abroad and mission trip. “I had always been too nervous or shy to go on mission trips or lacked the resources,” she said. But ACU’s Wildcat Academics on Mission (WAM) program put both of those concerns … Continued

The wild history of ACU’s mascot
You all know Willie the Wildcat, but did you know ACU’s first mascot was an actual, live cat? In 1923, Sam Cox of Ozona, Texas, donated a young bobcat that had been captured on his ranch near the banks of the Devil’s River to become the university’s first Wildcat mascot. Bob Thomas made his debut … Continued

Pandemic adds twist to alumna’s job with Clinical Trials of Texas
Cindi (Patterson ’86) Nellis had a full-circle moment when she received her COVID-19 vaccine in December. The inoculation represented her work since April as senior director of marketing and recruitment at Clinical Trials of Texas (CTT), one of the many groups conducting patient trials for the much-anticipated COVID-19 vaccine. “It was really a moving moment,” … Continued

Former FBI agent heads new online criminal justice program at ACU
Brenda McAdoo has spent the last 24 years on a mission: to protect the American people from criminals here and terrorists abroad. As a special agent and crisis negotiator with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, she investigated and brought justice to crimes against children, violent crime, organized crime, and international kidnapping. So after retiring from … Continued

Financial management major finds her calling as advocate for victims
While many high school students spend their free time with friends, Destanie Crist found a greater calling – pouring herself into girls her age who were victims of human trafficking, sexual assault, cyberbullying and abuse. Now a financial management major at Abilene Christian University, Destanie has brought her compassion and leadership skills to ACU’s College … Continued