by M. C. Jennings | May 3, 2023 | Academics, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Research, School of Information Technology and Computing, Student Spotlights, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
Each day, students across the ACU campus display the university’s mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world through their actions and acts of service on the campus. Each year, students like those are nominated by their academic departments. From those nominations, 50 scholars are selected by the ACU Faculty Senate to receive the University Scholars Award for their graduating class.
Among those 50 scholars who demonstrated outstanding scholarship by maintaining a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher, earning 90 hours towards their degree, and continuing the pursuit of knowledge in their research field, seven are students from the College of Business Administration. The COBA students who received this year’s University Scholars Award are Kathryn Crawford, Gracie Isham, Matthew Roberson, Will Harris, Diego Lozano Welsh, Ben Blackmon, and Garrett Powell.
We will highlight each of the seven over the next month, including this profile of Garrett Powell, a native of Aledo, Texas, who carries a 3.9 GPA while majoring in computer science with a focus on software engineering and minoring in mathematics. Garrett – who has been working as an intern for Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company – will go to work with FCLIC as a DevOps Developer.
While at ACU, Garrett has been heavily involved in academic and campus life pursuits. He has served as Dr. James Prather’s research assistant, researching metacognition, programming error messages, and novice programmers. Seven of his articles have been published on various platforms over the last three years.
He’s also the chairman of the local ACM SIGCHI Chapter and is president of the ACU Swing Cats, the swing dance club on campus. Garrett has been with the group since the fall of his freshman year (2019-20) and was with the group on April 29 when it celebrated its 20th anniversary with a dance at the Elks Ballroom.
Garrett recently answered a few questions about his time at ACU and in COBA, covering everything from his most influential class and professor to the most impactful thing he’s been a part of while at ACU:
Q: What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself at ACU?
Powell: “Learning to interact and communicate with people from different areas of life, whether from other majors or societal backgrounds.”
Q: What professor or class has impacted you most and why?
Powell: “James Prather has by far been the most influential professor. He picked me up as a research assistant in the spring of my freshman year and has been a mentor ever since. He introduced me to the many ways we can improve people’s lives by implementing accessibility tools on our software. The most influential class would have actually had to have been a two-part class. Software 1 and 2, taught by Brent Reeves, greatly impacted me. He helped implement projects that reflected what working in the real world was like. It did a great job preparing me for what I see in my job day to day.”
Q: Of all the things you’ve experienced at ACU, what do you believe will have the most impact on your life?
Powell: “Being involved in Swing Cats has been the most influential part of my college experience. It brought me out of my comfort zone and moved me into a leadership position.”
by M. C. Jennings | Apr 29, 2023 | Academics, Accounting, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Social Entrepreneurship, Student Spotlights, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
Each day, students across the ACU campus display the university’s mission to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world through their actions and acts of service on the campus. Each year, students like those are nominated by their academic departments. From those nominations, 50 scholars are selected by the ACU Faculty Senate to receive the University Scholars Award for their graduating class.
Among those 50 scholars who demonstrated outstanding scholarship by maintaining a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher, earning 90 hours towards their degree, and continuing the pursuit of knowledge in their research field, seven are students from the College of Business Administration. The COBA students who received this year’s University Scholars Award are Kathryn Crawford, Gracie Isham, Matthew Roberson, Will Harris, Diego Lozano Welsh, Ben Blackmon, and Garrett Powell.
We will highlight each of the seven over the next month, starting with Gracie Isham, the youngest of the four Isham siblings to attend ACU. A native of Decatur, she is a member of Ko Jo Kai, has served on the Executive CEO Leadership Board and the Executive Philanthropy Board, and sang in the Foundation and Grace Note a capella groups.
A double major in accounting and finance, she has already accepted a job offer at Weaver, an accounting firm in downtown Fort Worth. She is in the process of applying to schools across Texas so she can work toward getting her MBA.
Gracie recently answered a few questions about her time at ACU and in COBA, covering everything from her most influential class to the most unique thing she’s been a part of while at ACU:
Q: What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself at ACU?
Isham: “The most important thing I have learned is that we all need community, and that community looks different for each individual. As I’ve gone through the troughs and peaks of college, my community has kept me stable and looking toward my purpose: to be a good steward of God’s gifts. With this being said, my definition of community has changed throughout my time here. I would have used to say that community looks like being plugged in with a vast group of people across all areas and interests in my life. Still, as my time in college ends, my definition of a true community has changed to this: my caring roommate that sews the hole in my shirt, my lifetime friend that walks my dog while I’m sick, my friend that offers me a prayer whenever I need, and my family who constantly supports all of my future ideas. Community isn’t about quantity but the quality of people who know you best.”
Q: What professor or class has impacted you most and why?
Isham: “The class that had the most impact on me was the strategic philanthropy class I am currently taking (The why behind this answer is located in the last question!).”
Q: What has been your experience in COBA?
Isham: “COBA has been a great experience overall. It has offered me many opportunities to grow by presenting me with leadership opportunities, networking events, and an overall supportive environment with people who want to see me succeed!”
Q: Of all the things you’ve experienced at ACU, what do you believe will have the most impact on your life?
Isham: “ACU’s constant push toward turning its faculty and students toward God will have the biggest impact on my life. I have grown spiritually through all the big chapels, small group chapels, the professor’s daily class prayers, and constant spaces of worship. The things I gained through these experiences are things I will implement into my life forever.”
Q: What is the most unique thing you’ve been a part of or learned at ACU?
Isham: “The most unique thing I have been a part of at ACU has been sitting as the chairperson of the Strategic Philanthropy Board. I have had the opportunity to visit various non-profits in Abilene and witness God’s good work through the people of each organization. Through this, as a board, we have chosen several non-profits to allocate $50,000 for their use. This has challenged me to engage in more philanthropic endeavors in my life and home community.”
by M. C. Jennings | Aug 31, 2022 | Academics, Current Students, Digital Entertainment Technology, Faith Infusion, School of Information Technology and Computing, Student Spotlights, Uncategorized
Written by special contributor Lance Fleming
In most places of business, an apprentice is given a few days or even a week to get their feet wet and learn the ins and outs of the office before being fully indoctrinated into the ins and outs of the everyday job.
Alissa Davis didn’t have that luxury.
When Davis – who is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Digital Entertainment Technology (DET) with an emphasis on Video Game Design and is on target to graduate in May 2023 – started her apprenticeship with Funeral Director’s Life Insurance Company on June 1, she had no choice but to get right to work and help her co-workers make it through one of the saddest moments in the recent history of the country.
Just one week before she began, 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde lost their lives to a mass shooter. When Davis began her apprenticeship, she was immediately charged with helping to set up and monitor live streams of approximately 15 of the funerals that stretched over several days.
It was a tough and emotional task and one that Davis hasn’t fully put into perspective.
“I still haven’t fully processed the emotions that came with it,” said Davis, who is a senior from Stephenville. “There were several times during the services when I had to completely turn the sound off and momentarily step away from my desk where I was monitoring the live stream because I couldn’t handle the sound of the parents grieving for their lost children. There was always a tense aura in the department because we needed to do better than our best and ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible for those families and the community, who suffered great losses.”
Around July 1 when her boss returned from Uvalde, Davis was assigned a new responsibility to create short training videos for both new and regular clients to watch and learn how to use the FDLIC streaming product. Despite the difficult and emotional circumstances, Davis had quickly made a name for herself at the company. So much so that at the end of her apprenticeship, Davis was awarded the Performance Plus Award, which is awarded by the FDLIC’s Board of Directors and had never before been presented to an apprentice.
The award is given to an employee who shows outstanding qualities that fit several of the 22 non-negotiable traits of the company. Normally, the person who receives the award is recognized by another respected employee of the company and awarded at a company-wide meeting at the end of the month. However, Davis’s above-and-beyond effort resulted in her receiving this remarkable reward.
“I was stunned,” Davis said of the moment when she was announced as the winner of the award. “I knew that I helped the team, but I discredited myself as able to receive praise because I never went there personally or interacted with the people in person as the rest of the team did. So, when it came time to recognize the winners, I was completely stunned to see my name there.”
By the end of her second week, Davis said, she was fully trained and up to speed on almost everything a normal employee in the FDLIC Encore Department would know. The Encore Department is the technology used to live-stream funeral services.
“I had to quickly learn how to do so much more than an ordinary apprentice should in less than one week,” Davis said. “By my third day, I took on responsibilities as if I was another full-time employee because I wanted to do anything I could to help make the lives of my bosses and co-workers easier. They needed to put their focus and full attention on the devastating matter at hand and give the funeral directors on site their undivided attention and assistance.”
Davis – who said the greatest lesson she learned during her apprenticeship is that it’s OK to make mistakes –
was on the job for two months and will have a full-time job waiting for her when she graduates. In the meantime, she was offered a part-time job when the apprenticeship was over and she’s currently working in that job until she can begin her full-time job. And after some time there, her goal is to pursue a career with her DET degree because her true passion is video game design.
She credited ACU and COBA with getting the apprenticeship and learning to use her imagination to be as creative as possible.
“ACU had the connections for me; I would not have learned about this internship in the first place without them,” Davis said. “Being at ACU has helped me come out of my shell, so I can take the leaps of faith and go for something I want. My time at ACU has also taught me to think quickly on my feet so that I can learn how to do what I need to do quickly to be able to give back to and help others.
“The best thing about being a COBA student is having the opportunity for freedom to create whatever I can imagine,” she continued. “And if I can’t do it because I lack the skill, I have friends and professors around me who can and are actively willing to help because want to see me succeed.”
by Maddy Crockett | May 9, 2022 | Academics, College Decisions, Current Students, Marketing, Student Spotlights, Uncategorized
Any baseball fan knows how much the game has changed in the last ten years. Many managers have begun focusing on stats for every aspect of the game, using staff members that specialize in analytics to help their team gain competitive advantages. This past spring Katie Carr (’22), information systems major from Wichita, Kansas, snagged an on-campus internship that has provided her with bountiful experience as she interned for the ACU baseball team as the Data Collection & Baseball Projects Manager. Katie told us more about her time with the team and how this internship has given her tangible skills and understanding to set her up for a homerun post-graduation.
WHAT DID YOU DO IN YOUR INTERNSHIP?
As Data Collections & Project Manager, I analyze game statistics for player development. For example, during practices and warmups, I track pitchers as they practice to gather information on attributes such as pitch velocity, spin rate, and horizontal/vertical break. This provides valuable information for the whole team – coaches can utilize this in making decisions about starting lineups, and players can assess their performance and see what weak spots to focus on.
Following games, I produce several reports such as top velocities, opposing pitcher compositions, and umpire statistics. I’m also in charge of setting up cameras to film the games and preparing a video guide with player appearances and times for easy navigation.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE INTERNSHIP?
My favorite part of this job is that the sports industry is never dull. Each day, it provides a different experience that leads to new challenges or ideas. If we see a trend start to appear during a game, that gives us the opportunity to dive deeper into the data to see if we find anything interesting.
WHAT WERE THE GREATEST LESSONS YOU LEARNED IN THE INTERNSHIP?
The greatest lesson I learned was to always be willing to learn. This role required a good understanding of the sport and knowing how it can be implemented in the player structure. While I had limited knowledge coming in, I didn’t let it discourage me. I come early and stay late after practices, scrimmages, and games to get more experience.
HOW DO YOU SEE THIS EXPERIENCE AIDING YOU IN THE FUTURE?
There are countless industries you can pursue with data analytics, and being able to get experience in those fields is important in order to get ideas of future job options. Prior to working with ACU’s baseball team, I had never considered sports analytics. However, working on the field over the last semester has helped me discover an industry I want to pursue more after graduate school.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR FUTURE INTERNS OR STUDENTS LOOKING FOR INTERNSHIPS?
Create meaningful relationships with your professors – they often have plenty of connections and are happy to help you out if you’re struggling. On one of our many office visits, I had mentioned to Dr. Ryan Jessup that I was looking for a job. Shortly after, he connected me with the baseball team’s coach who had reached out to him looking for analytics assistance.
HOW HAS YOUR TIME AT ACU PREPARED YOU FOR THIS INTERNSHIP AND FOR GRAD SCHOOL
AFTER GRADUATION?
Assignments with real-world applications have been incredibly beneficial. I’ve always enjoyed projects where you can truly see the impact of your work (such as going to Costa Rica for the Enterprise Consulting class or assisting with the Suitable app onboarding in the System Analysis & Design class). These were all great opportunities to practice the skills learned in the classroom in a real-life scenario.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A COBA STUDENT?
My favorite part of being a COBA student is the number of faculty and staff who genuinely care about you and your future. I have received so much support and guidance from so many COBA professors that I know I wouldn’t get anywhere else. They truly believe in their students and their ability to succeed.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Katie as she explores careers in sports and analytics. Upon graduation, Katie plans to attend Wake Forest University for her Master’s in Business Analytics.
by M. C. Jennings | May 4, 2022 | Academics, Accounting, COBA Faculty, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Financial Management, MAcc, Student Spotlights, Uncategorized
Tyler Merritt, a junior double major in accounting and financial management from Abilene, TX, is one of 4 business majors recognized as a University Scholar this spring. To qualify as a University Scholar, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher and show a demonstration of knowledge and skill in the research of their appropriate field. Students are nominated by faculty across the university and presented for selection to the Faculty Senate for the final decision. We asked Tyler to tell us what it means to be honored and share his best advice on how students can get the most out of their college experience. Congratulations, Tyler!
Being named a University Scholar is a great honor! What was your first reaction when you received the news?
I was excited and honored to be chosen as a member of this elite group of students.
What extracurricular activities/student orgs were you involved with on campus?
- Treasurer of Frater Sodalis
- Member of U-Chorale and the A Cappella Chorus
- A/V live events technician
- Teaching assistant
- Library circulation desk worker
What are some of your favorite memories/experiences in your department?
- Listening to all of Dr. Fowler’s extremely entertaining auditing stories
- Dr. Perkins bringing his guitar to class and singing a Willie Nelson parody
- Somehow passing Dr. Neill’s bonds exam
What has grown you as an individual the most in your time at ACU?
Seeing and experiencing the tightly bonded community that is ACU, especially through the men of Frater Sodalis.
What is your favorite thing about ACU?
The kindness and care that the professors put into their lectures and interactions with their students
Do you have any advice for future students?
Don’t be afraid to try new things, but also don’t fill your plate up too much. And always leave the biggest space for God and your faith life.
What will you be doing after graduation?
I will pursue a Master’s degree in accountancy and begin studying for the CPA certification exam.
by M. C. Jennings | May 2, 2022 | Academics, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Financial Management, Student Spotlights
Destanie Crist, a financial management major from Valley Center, CA, is one of 4 business majors recognized as a University Scholar this spring. To qualify as a University Scholar, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher and show a demonstration of knowledge and skill in the research of their appropriate field. Students are nominated by faculty across the university and presented for selection to the Faculty Senate for the final decision. We asked Destanie to share her best advice on how students can become involved on campus and gain experience for post-graduation life. Congratulations, Destanie!
Being named a University Scholar is a great honor! What was your first reaction when you received the news?
I was extremely grateful and honored that ACU faculty and staff picked me! It is a special reminder that God blesses, and that hard work always pays off.
What extracurricular activities/student orgs were you involved with on campus?
- Financial Management Association
- Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy
- Off-campus, I served as a mentor for 11th and 12th grade girls through Beltway Church
What are some of your favorite memories/experiences in your department?
Managing the Student Investment Fund (STAR) was by far one of my favorite experiences at ACU. I have invested from a very young age, and I enjoyed being hands-on in class with real day-to-day investing activities. Leading as the Fund Manager taught me how to bring together teams and people with many different talents. The fund also did exceptionally well that year, and I loved working with everyone in the class.
Working at the Griggs Center was such a great career-developing experience. Whether as President of Enactus or the Director of Student Competitions, there was always a task and challenges ahead that I got to help with and improve. It is a great place to learn soft skills and meet incredible leaders like Mindy, Amanda, and Jim.
What has grown you as an individual the most in your time at ACU?
The groups and organizations I am involved in have helped me grow the most during my time at ACU. As a leader or a learner training to be one, I was challenged in ways outside of normal academics to strengthen my soft skills and leadership abilities. Working at the Griggs Center, in COBA, and at JP Morgan Chase are all exceptional work environments which have allowed me to take the skills I learned on campus and in the classroom to an actual workplace.
What is your favorite thing about ACU?
My favorite thing about ACU is the people. The professors, students, faculty and staff make ACU an amazing community. ACU is unique in so many ways, but the professors and peers that I have been blessed to be friends with have brought abundant wisdom and joy into my life.
Do you have any advice for future students?
The best piece of advice would be to seek God in all things: school, career, relationships, and your day-to-day living. Enjoy your time at school, be involved, and try new things, but also make sure to think about your next steps and life after school.
What will you be doing after graduation?
After graduation, I will start working full time as a Commercial Real Estate Analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase and I will get married in August!
