Category: Features
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 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
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
Deep-rooted mission: Warren works to keep campus beautiful, help students thrive
It may be quieter inside the residence halls and classrooms now that the calendar has flipped to summer, but out on the grounds of the ACU campus, life doesn’t slow down for Scott Warren and the landscaping and grounds crew. Summer is a prime opportunity for Warren, ACU’s director of grounds and landscaping, and his … Continued
10 Questions with Kent Brantly, M.D.
The COVID-19 pandemic might feel like déjà vu for Kent Brantly, M.D. (’03), who contracted the deadly Ebola virus in 2014 while serving as a medical missionary in Liberia. He became the first Ebola patient to receive the experimental drug ZMapp and the first to be flown back to the U.S. for treatment. Six years … Continued
Ghana native inspired to use business, ministry degrees to advance family’s nonprofit
During his seven years at Abilene Christian University, Jack Oduro found a place to call home – a community, he says, that has offered “parent figures, mentors, friends of a lifetime and opportunities for growth that have shaped the person I am today.” But a piece of his heart remains with the people of his … Continued