April Thompson
April Thompson, director of academic outreach in the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education, has been named Staff Council’s Staff Member of the Month for October. To help us get to know her better, she answered some questions for Inside Ole Miss.
IOM: How long have you worked at Ole Miss?
Thompson: Eight years.
IOM: What is your hometown?
Thompson: Tulsa, Oklahoma.
IOM: Talk about your favorite Ole Miss memory.
Thompson: Work related: When I worked in the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, my favorite memories were when my students would graduate. It was always sad saying goodbye, but seeing them earn something they had worked hard for was always my favorite day.
Non-work related: Watching my boys run out on the Ole Miss soccer field after a win and kick the ball around. The team always gives them high-five’s and celebrates with them; they love it.
IOM: What do you enjoy most about your position or the department in which you work?
Thompson: What I most enjoy is the opportunity to interact with my team and all the academic units on campus. I enjoy collaborating and learning from people with such a variety of backgrounds, knowledge and interests.
IOM: What do you like to do when you are not at work?
Thompson: I enjoy running, reading and going on mini-adventures with my sons.
IOM: What is one thing on your bucket list?
Thompson: Just one? I want to embark on a photography tour around the world, write and publish a fiction novel, and own a yellow Jeep Wrangler.
IOM: What is your favorite movie?
Thompson: I love movies; if I had to only choose one, it would be “Dead Poet’s Society.”
IOM: What is your favorite Ole Miss tradition?
Thompson: The fireworks after baseball games.
IOM: What is a fun fact about you?
Thompson: I love Halloween and dress in costume at work each year.
IOM: If you could have lunch with anyone alive or dead/fictional or real, who would it be and why?
Thompson: I would choose Dame Helen Mirren and Dame Judi Dench. They are fierce, independent and outspoken women. I love the energy and purpose they give, and I bet they have some amazing stories.
IOM: What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Thompson: Driven, active, stressed.
IOM: If you could visit one time or place in world history – past, present or future – what would it be?
Thompson: The future. I would like to see how all of this turns out.
IOM: If I could be an animal for a day I would be ___
Thompson: A wolf.
To nominate a colleague for Staff Member of the Month, email staffcouncil@olemiss.edu with the name of the individual you’d like to nominate as well as why you feel he or she should be recognized.