January 12th - April

In yesterday's campus-wide staff meeting, the university apparently took a cue from this blog.

The staff meetings are usually monthly or every-other-monthly check-ins.  Updates about university goings-on, announcements of new projects, recognition of above-and-beyond service, things like that. I like to think of them as pep rallies.  There are those that really enjoy them, and there are others that have rolled their eyes at the "ra-ra" spirit.  I think they've been a great way to reset and refocus.  We believe we do something special here (as I'm sure every university or business does), and having these meetings helps to reaffirm that mission and get us excited about what lies ahead of us.

Yesterday, we did something a little different.  Typically, you sit with the co-workers in your office, or good friends from across campus.  Upon arriving for this particular meeting, however, I was handed a ticket with an assigned seat.  "Act Like a Freshman" I was told, which meant that I was going into an auditorium not knowing who I was going to sit next to (just like our freshmen do when they arrive on campus).  It was a cool experiment, an effort to get us out of our silos and potentially meet someone or talk to someone that we may only know in passing.

It really helped with this blog!

I took my seat and found that I was sitting next to April, who readily agreed to an interview.



April

April has worked at HPU for 11 years.  She actually came in as a student in 2000, and stayed on after that.  She is the Assistant Athletic Director and the Senior Woman Administrator (all programs have to have someone in this position).

Lars: Obviously you're big into athletics then.  Not to pick a favorite team among the ones that you work with, but what's your favorite sport in general?

April: My favorite sport is college basketball, definitely.

When the subject of college basketball is brought up in North Carolina, it's important to ask...

Lars: So who do you pull for? (I was expecting UNC, Duke, Wake, or State, the usual answers)

April: HPU!

April is also a big baseball fan, and she and her husband usually try to go to a different stadium each summer to watch the Yankees (her husband's team that she has now adopted...as a Red Sox fan I gave this a pass).


Lars: What do you like most about working here at HPU?

April: The family environment here.  Most if not all of us in the department have families, and it's great to have the kids here for the games.

I have a three year old named Tanner.  He started playing soccer last year and loved it.  It was amoeba ball, but it was a lot of fun to watch.  He's going to start playing basketball this year and he's really excited.  He got a hoop for Christmas and he's been playing a lot with that.

Lars: Elliot got a tee-ball set for Christmas.  He got one good swing in, and now he just taps the ball of with his finger.

April: We went through the same thing!




What's the meal that reminds you of home?

April: Definitely chicken and dumplings.  I'm from Wilkesboro and that reminds me of home.



What musician would you bring back and why?

April: I'm going to go with Whitney Houston.  Not only was she so amazing as a musician, but she was also an amazing actress.  I'll never forget watching The Bodyguard for the first time, great movie! (Which I still need to check out...)



What's your favorite joke?

April: My son, without a doubt. He's at that age where his personality is coming out, he really makes me laugh.



What was the most significant thing that happened in 2016?

April: The Presidential election, though I'm glad it's over! I was worried that I was going to have to cut out way too many friends because of their social media posts.  I think this is one that I will always remember.



Will the world be a better place in 20 years?

April: I surely hope so! If not, I feel really bad for our kids.

Lars: What's something that we can do to make sure that it is better for them?

April: Something that we can do to make it better...I think it's being better at understanding others, taking the time to understand them and to understand the diversity that's around us (kinda like this blog!)


April mentioned worrying about having to cut out people from her social media feeds because of their posts, and I found myself at that point many times over the last year.  I ultimately didn't, because, as April said, it's important to understand the diversity that's around us.  That doesn't just mean racial or ethnic or religious diversity (or 1,000 other examples), it also means ideological diversity.  We may not agree with certain ideas, but shutting them out completely doesn't help move the conversation forward.

I really appreciated the chance to talk with April, as I had seen her around campus since I first started at HPU.  I've been in meetings with her, seen her at games, said "hi" at university Christmas parties, but never sat down and learned a little more about her.  Luckily for me, when the tickets were passed out, I got a seat next to her!