Category: Features
Music education student embraces roles as drum major and marine
Passion for music and hard work drives Matthew Darby, junior music education major from Lubbock, to excel in and balance his roles as a drum major for the Abilene Christian University Big Purple marching band and a lance corporal for the U.S. Marine Reserves on a daily basis. Darby’s days are spent juggling rigorous music … Continued
Journalism student reflects on the power of a simple touch, a lesson learned in Uganda
Sometimes lessons learned on a mission trip extend far beyond the trip itself. Emily Shafer, a senior journalism major from Lubbock, Texas, tells about one such lesson. Emily was chosen to travel to Kampala, Uganda, as part of Wildcat Academics on Mission, a program that integrates mission and service with coursework. She accompanied … Continued
Impromptu moment with Cambodian girls leads to gift of connection for ACU volleyball player
While some students took time off this summer to relax with their families, many Wildcats spent their summer serving and learning. Londyn Gray, a senior journalism major and ACU volleyball player from Weatherford, Texas, traveled to Cambodia on a trip organized through ACU’s WorldWide Witness program. There, she worked with Cambodia Christian Ministries, teaching … Continued
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 … 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 … 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 90,000 followers who share her passion for books. An avid reader – she made her … 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 … 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 … 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