
Category: Features


From Peru to East Africa, Caires find ways to serve the underserved
Dr. Will (’93) and Allison (Smith ’95) Caire learned something about God’s timing while serving as missionaries in Peru. They expected to be there long term, but then God intervened. That experience taught them to forget about long-term plans and leave things in God’s hands. “We thought we would be in Peru forever,” Will said, … Continued

Award-winning filmmaker Maxwell uses storytelling as catalyst for change
Stories have the power to change the world, and ACU alumnus Matt Maxwell (’07) believes this so full-heartedly that he has devoted his life to telling them. Matt’s film Finding Home in Boomtown will be featured at this year’s ACU Summit Film Festival. The documentary film, set in Midland, Texas, tells the story of a … Continued

Upperclassmen, recent grads give advice to new students
Stepping onto a college campus for the first time can be intimidating, exciting and terrifying all at once. We asked a few ACU senior and recent graduates to share words of wisdom, reflecting on their time at ACU. We hope their answers will bless our new students as they take that first step into the … Continued
Christian Health Service Corps attracts ACU alumni to serve as medical missionaries
It seemed like destiny when Dr. Tony Rector noticed a change of address from where he had been sending checks to support a medical missionary he knew. The checks had been sent to Christian Health Service Corps at an address in Boerne, near San Antonio. Now, the address said “Fruitvale, Texas,” located in East Texas just … Continued

Alumna artist makes her mark in Honduras with abstract creations
In Honduras where contemporary and realistic traditional art is the normal, Helga Sierra (’12) has surprised the market with her abstract creations. “There’s not a lot of art education here, which has been one of the main hurdles with doing abstract art,” Helga said. “Here people are used to seeing portraits or landscapes, and if … Continued

Alumna grows craft fair to benefit local businesses
Achieving your dreams is never a straight path, and Jennifer (Fuentes ’06) Harmel, creator of A People Party Productions, has traveled a winding road as her business has grown from a single pop-up market to a full-on marketing tool for businesses. Jen started her business in 2013. At the time, she was … Continued

Social work major finds life-changing opportunity in Oxford
Cayla Savari took an opportunity that changed her life in a personal way during the already life-changing experience of studying abroad in Oxford, England. In fall 2018, Cayla, a social work major whose home is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, decided to take her studies abroad and experience the culture and diversity of Oxford. She took classes … Continued
Social media expertise pays off for ACU grad Ryan Cantrell
Many young men grow up dreaming of playing in the major leagues. While most do not make it, ACU alumnus Ryan Cantrell (’11) is doing the next best thing. Cantrell, a Fort Worth native who earned a degree in broadcast journalism, works for the Texas Rangers as a social media coordinator where he assists with … Continued
Wildcats have a few stories to tell at Children's Art and Literacy Festival
Once upon a time – on May 21, 2015, to be exact – the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas designated Abilene as the official Storybook Capital of America. This week’s Children’s Art and Literacy Festival, or CALF, is one of the reasons why, and Abilene Christian University characters are playing their part to … Continued