ACU INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AND
STUDY ABROAD TEAM
Directors & Coordinators
Mark Barneche
Executive Director for International Education and Study Abroad
Mark began his journey with study abroad in 2001 as a student at Pepperdine University in Heidelberg, Germany. After living in Mito, Japan, and New York City, Mark spent 10 years working with Pepperdine University’s international program in Lausanne, Switzerland and transitioned to ACU in August 2023.
As an alumnus of Pepperdine’s Department of Religion, ACU’s Graduate School of Theology, and a doctoral candidate at SIT, Mark is most interested in the intersection of culture, faith, and spiritual formation through the study abroad experience.
Lindsay Snyder
Study Abroad Coordinator
Lindsay studied abroad in Leipzig, Germany in Spring 2014 and graduated from ACU with a degree in English in 2015. She lived in Leipzig for six years and was the on-site coordinator for ACU in Leipzig for four of those years. She completed a master's degree in Global Studies & International Relations from Northeastern University and currently works as ACU's Study Abroad Coordinator in Abilene.
"My favorite memory from my semester abroad in Leipzig was befriending a local restaurateur named Helga. Several years later, when I was living in Leipzig again, I was able to reconnect with Helga, who had since retired from her forty-plus years running a small German restaurant in western Leipzig. She still lived in the flat directly above the restaurant space."
ACU - Leipzig Ambassador Team
Ethan Swaney, Leipzig Fall 2023, Ambassador Team
Ethan is a senior Bible major from Keller, TX. His favorite moment from a semester abroad was the first time he and his friends went to the Leipzig Christmas Market. “It felt like we stepped right into a storybook!”
Email Ethan
Meet with Ethan
Ryleigh Moore, Leipzig Fall 2023, Ambassador Team
Ryleigh is a senior Criminal Justice major from Austin, TX. One of her favorite memories was shopping in the Christmas market with her friends as in snowed in Leipzig, Germany.
Email Ryleigh
Meet with Ryleigh
ACU Montevideo- Ambassador Team
Emma Palafox, Montevideo Spring 2023, Ambassador Team
Emma is a senior Speech Pathology and Spanish double major from Lubbock, TX. “My favorite memory while being abroad was visiting a small fishing town called Punta del Diablo. It was a fun place to swim, sit outside, read, and enjoy the beach with friends. We also had delicious food and little shops to go through.”
Email Emma
Meet with Emma
Kade Killion, Montevideo Fall 2023, Ambassador Team
Kade is a junior Accounting and Finance major from Abilene, TX. His favorite memory from a semester abroad was kayaking in Argentine Patagonia. “The dramatic landscape we were surrounded by is something I’ll never forget.”
Email Kade
Meet with Kade
ACU Oxford- Ambassador Team
Shelby Chapman, Oxford Fall 2023, Ambassador Team
Shelby is a junior undeclared major from Salem, OR. Her favorite memories from abroad are cooking in Rome, hiking in Ireland with her new best friends, and having a dance battle with her professor's son after Thanksgiving dinner (he won).
Email Shelby
Meet with Shelby
Wesley Mullens, Oxford Fall 2023, Ambassador Team
Wesley is a junior Business Management major from Pottstown, PA. His favorite memories from study abroad include punting along the River Thames, taking a cold plunge into the Windermere Lake District, and fishing in the canals throughout Oxford.
Email Wesley
Meet with Wesley
ACU Study Abroad Operations Team
Alyssa Polnac, Leipzig Fall 2023, Marketing Team
Alyssa is a senior Advertising & Public Relations major from Rogers, TX. Her favorite memory from studying abroad is hiking through the Swiss Alps.
Georgia Siegel, Leipzig Fall 2023, Administrative Team
Georgia is a senior Business Management major with minors in Music and Computer Science from Las Vegas, NV. Her favorite memory from living abroad was spending ten days exploring the Norwegian fjords in a camper van.
Langley Smith, Montevideo Fall 2023, Administrative Team
Langley is a junior Political Science and History double major from Murrieta, CA. Her favorite memory from her semester abroad in Montevideo is celebrating her 20th birthday in Patagonia (the Argentine side) with a group dinner.
Sam O’Quinn, Oxford Fall 2022, Administrative Team
Sam is a senior Accounting and Financial Management double major from Keller, TX. His favorite memory is watching the sunset in Cinque Terre, Italy, with his friends; they stumbled upon a random pianist playing songs for strangers and sat listening to him play while eating gelato.
Melanie Matute, Oxford Spring 2023, Administrative Team
Melanie is a senior Engineering major from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. One of her favorite memories from her semester abroad was going to a Ceilidh dance in Edinburgh, Scotland! She said it “was so fun getting to learn Scottish dances with my friends and meeting local people.”