Lauren Franco

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 a teacher and […]

New students get the warmest ‘hello’ from director of student programs
Abilene Christian is the highest-ranking university in Texas in a U.S. News and World Report benchmark focused on student success. Here is a look at some of the people and programs that make our student experience exceptional. Although she stands only 4 feet 11 inches tall, her role on campus is large. The spunky and […]

Entrepreneurial sisters grow consignment sale after Springboard win
For eight years, sisters Summer (Pierson ’99) Walters and Kate (Pierson ’03) Stover have built their company on the idea of “Reduce. Reuse. Resell.” My Sister’s House, a pop-up consignment sale hosted by the two Wildcats with a passion for giving, got a running start by winning the Springboard Idea Challenge sponsored by ACU’s Griggs […]

Sacred Art: Ministry major finds inspiration painting Bible covers
Water drips from her paintbrush as she strokes it across her unconventional canvas. Using extravagant colors and designs to dress the cover of a Bible, she sings along to “Son of God” by Chris Renzema. Since the summer of her freshman year, Mary-Claire Marcear has used Bible covers to make tangible people’s personal testimonies and […]

Theatre major drawn to ACU by FilmFest, other opportunities
Ever since he was in high school, working in the film industry has been a dream for Rankin Dean Bullard. As a 12-year-old, he started making funny videos with his mom’s camera. Then, in his junior year of high school, he started acting in theatre and fell in love with it. When he was 18, […]

Tailgating 101: Tips for making the most of Gameday
The excitement of Wildcat football season is only a few weeks away, and for ACU fans this means the second year of an all-new on-campus Gameday experience, complete with Wildcat Country Tailgating. Some of the most spirited Wildcats during last season’s tailgating were ACU social clubs, whose tents dotted the Campus Mall area with members […]

Alumni couple’s nonprofit focuses on helping Haiti
Bill (’76) and Janet (Wilson ’74) Montgomery started their nonprofit, Just Mercy, in 2010 after an earthquake devastated Haiti, killing more than 200,000 people. With 1.5 million people displaced, Bill took his background in construction, mechanics, farming and gardening to the impoverished country. Since then the nonprofit has grown, and with the help of others, […]

Tom Craig’s farewell to Sing Song marked by memories
With their blue shirts covered in silver duct tape numbers, a small group scattered from Moody Coliseum back to the newsroom to wrap up the Sing Song issue of The Optimist. The year was 1989. Tom Craig and the other seniors on the newspaper staff participating in the class act, “The Cowboys Are Dead,” sang […]

Parker uses business acumen to help the homeless
Molly Parker (’07) earned a master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders but found her calling as an entrepreneur whose business provides an income for her family but also helps the homeless. Molly began Graceful Remedies in February of 2014 out of a passion for organic home and personal care products. The parent company now has […]

Alumna finds success as New York City casting director
In a move that took her from Abilene Christian University to the bustling streets of New York City, theatre graduate Ally (Bonneau ’14) Beans has stepped from her spotlight on stage to a career behind the scenes. In April, Ally joined her former boss, casting director Daryl Eisenberg, to form their own company. Eisenberg/Beans Casting […]
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