Each year, Homecoming brings the Wildcat community together to celebrate campus traditions and reconnect with alumni. Behind the events, six student directors work with the Alumni Relations Office to coordinate activities and create opportunities for students, alumni and families to make new memories.

This year, six student directors are working alongside the Alumni Relations Office and student steering committees to coordinate events, reconnect alumni with campus and help students make memories of their own. With this year’s theme centered on tradition, the directors said they are excited to help preserve familiar Homecoming experiences while finding ways to bring the ACU community together.

Luke Powell: Bringing events together behind the scenes

For Luke Powell, junior communication major from Abilene, becoming a Homecoming student director was an opportunity to take his interest in event planning a step further. After enjoying Homecoming as a freshman, Powell joined the Homecoming Steering Committee the following year, helping coordinate reunion lunches before applying to become a director.

Powell said he enjoys working behind the scenes to help events run smoothly. His experience on the steering committee also gave him an opportunity to work with alumni and learn more about the planning that goes into Homecoming.

“I’m a really big fan of things that happen behind the scenes,” Powell said.

As a director, Powell said he has enjoyed working with the Alumni Relations Office and connecting with alumni from different generations. He said the relationships have been one of his favorite parts of the experience so far.

This year’s theme, “Tradition,” also gives students an opportunity to interpret the theme in different ways, particularly through the Homecoming parade floats.

Powell said he is excited to see how student organizations incorporate the theme into their floats and other Homecoming activities.

He also highlighted the opportunity for students and alumni to participate in events throughout the week, including activities at the Maker Lab and recreation center.

One of Powell’s favorite Homecoming traditions is Candlelight Devo, which he said offers students and returning alumni an opportunity to share a meaningful experience across generations.

Faith Dowell: Creating a sense of home

Faith Dowell, senior civil engineering major from Amarillo, joined the Homecoming Steering Committee last year, and after experiencing Homecoming from that perspective, she decided to apply for a director position.

Dowell works with Powell to coordinate alumni reunion lunches, Candlelight Devo and other events leading up to Homecoming weekend.

She said she has enjoyed discovering how many campus activities require planning behind the scenes. Events she once attended as a student now look different as she helps organize them.

“I just love campus involvement,” Dowell said.

For Dowell, Homecoming is an opportunity to celebrate the connection people have with ACU long after graduation. She said the university has become a home to her during her college experience, and she sees that same connection in alumni who return years later.

“Even like 20 years down the line, these people are coming back because their kids are here now,” Dowell said, “or they want to see their friends from when they were in school.”

Dowell said she appreciates that Homecoming allows people to reconnect with friends and celebrate the place that helped shape them academically and spiritually.

She is especially excited about this year’s theme because it highlights traditions that have become meaningful to students and alumni alike.

Keith Gray: Welcoming the community

Keith Gray, senior health sciences major from Houston, is approaching Homecoming from a new perspective this year. Although he has been involved in student engagement in other ways, serving as a Homecoming student director is his first time working with the Alumni Relations Office to coordinate the weekend.

Gray is responsible for the Homecoming carnival. He said the carnival involves several moving parts, from food and inflatables to welcoming the families and community members who attend.

For Gray, the most important part is making sure everyone who comes to campus feels welcome.

“I do love doing things that make ACU feel like home,” Gray said.

He said Homecoming gives current students the opportunity to develop a sense of belonging while allowing alumni to return to a place that holds meaning for them.

Gray is excited that this year’s theme highlights the traditions that connect different generations of Wildcats. He said those shared experiences help current students recognize they are part of a larger story that continues after graduation.

One of Gray’s favorite Homecoming experiences is the carnival, particularly seeing children and community members on campus. He said the event provides an opportunity for people outside the university to experience the ACU community.

Parker Reese: Turning plans into experiences

Parker Reese, senior finance and accounting major from Palmer, has experience coordinating student events, having served as a Sing Song student director last year. When the opportunity to direct Homecoming became available, Reese said she was excited to take on another behind-the-scenes role.

Reese is working with fellow director Jacqueline Garcia Torres to coordinate the Homecoming Parade and Homecoming Queen nominees.

Although she has not worked extensively with alumni yet, Reese said the position has pushed her outside her comfort zone by requiring her to contact people, start conversations and coordinate details with others.

“It’s really rewarding to see something you’re working on actually come to life and affect so many people,” Reese said.

She said one of her favorite parts of planning has been building relationships with the other student directors and members of the Alumni Relations Office.

Reese is particularly interested in seeing how student organizations interpret this year’s theme. She said “Tradition” leaves room for a variety of ideas, from familiar Homecoming experiences to traditions specific to ACU.

Her favorite Homecoming experience is participating in the parade. Reese said the energy of the event and seeing weeks of preparation come together make it especially meaningful. Growing up in a small town with its own Homecoming parade also makes the tradition feel familiar to her.

Jacqueline Garcia Torres: Connecting alumni and students

Jacqueline Garcia Torres, a first-year communication graduate student from Abilene, decided to become a Homecoming student director after learning about the opportunity while preparing to return to ACU for graduate school.

She wanted to remain connected to the student body while also serving alumni returning to campus. As both an ACU alumna and a current graduate student, Garcia Torres said the position allows her to experience Homecoming from both perspectives.

“Now that I am an alumni and a student at the same time, it’s really funny to be able to experience both sides,” Garcia Torres said, “and I’m really happy to serve alumni and students.”

Garcia Torres has helped contact former Homecoming queen’s court and coordinate their participation in this year’s celebrations. She said hearing their excitement about returning to campus has been one of the most meaningful parts of the process.

She was especially struck by the support alumni showed, even when they could not attend. Their responses reminded her of the community that continues to connect Wildcats after graduation.

Garcia Torres also hopes students recognize that Homecoming activities are not limited to alumni and their families. She highlighted the Backyard Bash, which takes place alongside the carnival and features a cookout, games and line dancing organized by student cultural organizations.

Her favorite traditions include the parade and the bell ringing tradition, where freshman ring the campus bell, located in front of  for 24-hours straight. She said she enjoys seeing student organizations’ creativity during the parade and the excitement shared by students, alumni and families.

Michael Angeles: Making the details count

Michael Angeles, senior biochemistry pre-med major from Abilene, applied to become a Homecoming student director last fall, excited to experience the weekend from a different perspective.

Although he had attended Homecoming as a student before, Angeles said working behind the scenes has helped him recognize the amount of coordination required to bring the events together.

His favorite part of planning has been working with the other directors and the Alumni Relations team and watching their ideas develop into actual events.

He said one of the biggest challenges is managing the many details involved in Homecoming, including the work that most attendees never see.

“There are a lot of details that most people will never see, but that’s also made me appreciate Homecoming a lot more,” Angeles said.

He also highlighted events planned for the beginning of Homecoming week, including a Monday night showing of Monsters, Inc. on the hill at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium and Late Night at the Rec on Tuesday, featuring games such as dodgeball, a rainbow parachute and Hungry Hungry Hippos.

For Angeles, Candlelight Devo is his favorite Homecoming tradition. He said the experience connects different stages of a student’s time at ACU, from the beginning of freshman year during Wildcat Week to the Senior Send-Off Devo.

A shared tradition

Although each director has different responsibilities, they share a goal of bringing the Wildcat community together through Homecoming traditions and events.

As Homecoming approaches, the directors encourage students to participate in events throughout the week and welcome alumni and families back to campus. Their work behind the scenes helps create opportunities for the community to connect and make new memories.