Today we’d like to introduce you to April L Armstrong.
Hi April, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I’m a small-town girl that grew up in Tipton County. I come from a large family of educators and farmers. My father was 1 of 11 children. As I reflect, I remember back to my great-aunts and uncles that set a foundation for raising us as a village. Everyone had their hands in molding us into whom we are today. My father married a city girl from Memphis, Tn, so Memphis has always been a part of who I am.
As a young girl, I loved the concept of the business world. My older brother took a Marketing class in high school and I would be with him after-hours, I fell in love with the course. Once I entered high school, I knew I wanted to take that class. I was committed to being a business major from that day forward.
My brother went off to college, UT Martin. At that time the university would recruit heavily in the Memphis area. I was primarily exposed to two universities, The University of Tennessee Martin (UTM) and Tennessee State University (TSU), which is where my father started his collegiate career in addition to several of his siblings. My mother, a graduate of UTM always returned to campus during my youth. Once my brother completed both his undergrad and grad career at UTM, I felt it was the best option for me as well. The transition on campus was an easy one, as it reminded me of the small town I grew up in.
As a graduate of UTM ’04, I moved back to Memphis, Tn. and began to work in the field of business (finance/banking). I decided to return to school for my MBA. Later in life after having my beautiful twin boys, I wanted to step out and make an impact in my community. I started off by joining Memphis Urban League Young Professionals. This offered me the opportunity to make an impact in my community by sharing my knowledge in financial literacy, networking with peers, and continuing my personal and professional development. I would speak in churches and local schools on financial literacy and smart banking.
As my God-daughter was transitioning into high school, building relationships with student counselors played a major role in my desire to raise my hand and become an active alumna of UTM. I reached out and I was put in contact with my now friend and mentor Tonya Parson. A couple of years went by and I told her, “I know I need to do more and I’m committed to doing more”. This was music to her ears as she immediately groomed me to become the President of the UTM Black Alumni Council.
UTM Black Alumni Council Mission is to:
– Engage alumni from the UT Martin campus in lifelong relationships with each other, current students, faculty, trustees, and administrators.
– Provide valuable programming and services to enhance mentorships.
– Serve as the medium of communication between the University and the alumni collectively.
– Promote black alumni participation and the University’s constituencies and
– Play an ACTIVE role in the fundraising activities for the Black Alumni Scholarship Fund.
We recently hosted our first Inaugural BAC Scholarship Gala in June ’22 “A Salute to Black Excellence”, where we were able to honor fellow alumni that have made an impact in their community as well as on the campus of UTM. After several years, we are so honored to announce that we raised enough funds from this event to endow the UTM Black Alumni Scholarship fund. This has been a goal for several years. We raised a grand total of $50,562.50 and endowed our scholarship with $33,976.00. We could not have achieved this goal without the support of our sponsors, alumni, friends, and family. We look forward to continuing to pour into our youth and supporting them financially.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t believe anything in life is a “smooth road”, but it’s been a beautiful journey, as I have learned how to overcome obstacles, learned my needed areas of improvement, and how the foundation that was instilled in me at such a young age has gotten me through several struggles and challenges.
Some of my struggles consisted of realizing, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. As I look back from my early 20s to the tail end of my 30s, I realize I didn’t have a road map of too much of anything. As the old folks say, “But God”. I often hear my grandmothers and great aunts, as I’m reminded of the God I serve, the impact I desire to make, and the foundation of the family that I come from.
In the mid-20s I realized the gaps in my community, even within my own home, financial literacy was a challenge, the road map to picking my major was a challenge, and I was often told what I should do (i.e, buy a house, go to college, work hard, etc.) but was never given the tools I needed to really be successful in achieving these things without a struggle. I was winging it all.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
After working in the Finance/Banking industry for over 12yrs, I transitioned into Real Estate. This was the first time I was able to tap into unknown skill sets that I was really excited about. I entered the industry by giving myself a 5 years term to gain the skills I was looking for and transition. To what, that was unknown.
While working in the Real Estate Industry, around years 3-4 I realized, I wasn’t working in a capacity where I felt I personally made an impact. After some thought, there were two companies I wanted to work for, and surprisingly when I hit that year 4 mark, I received a call from Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water.
I am now a Staff Auditor with the largest three-service municipal utility in the U.S. with more than 420,000 customers. I am enjoying the transition in my career as the audit world in this aspect is completely new and such a learning experience. With my organization, I have the opportunity to provide “Compassionate Service”, which is a major part of MLGW Values by volunteering in community service events. I recently won the MLGW Volunteer Spirit Rookie Award.
I am also the Membership/Academic Relations Officer for The Institute of Internal Auditors.
Although I have earned/received a number of professional awards, I am most appreciative of being presented with the UTM Black Alumni Leadership Award and this year’s UTM Outstanding Alumni Award, which will be presented during our Homecoming Weekend, on Oct. ’22.
What do you think about happiness?
My happy place is my family. My siblings are my ROCK, my spouse is BACKBONE, and my children are my WHY.
The simple privilege of enjoying moments with them is when I’m my happiest.
I have 3 sons. My stepson is now 22 years old and he is growing into manhood and tapping into skills that seem to have come out of nowhere! He has created his own business K.Kulture Photography/Videography. You can find him on IG: @901k.kulture.
Having kids that are involved in a number of things inspired me to capture moments. I now have a love for photography. This is something I call my oldest son about all the time and we discuss different tools and tips.
I have identical twin boys, they are 12 years old. It’s been pure joy watching them grow up. One is a history geek, and loves all things tech, while the other loves track and has a passion for working out. He wants to be an athletic trainer one day. The two of them have definitely turned us into a track family.
Contact information:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-armstrong-mba-54652313/
- Facebook: for UTM Black Alumni Council:https://www.facebook.com/groups/2843452192592801Facebook (personal page): https://www.facebook.com/april.armstrong.754918UTM Alumni: https://alumni.utm.edu/s/1341/utm/19/home.aspx?gid=5&pgid=61IIA Memphis Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/memphis-chapter-iia-6b5b1791/The IIA: https://www.theiia.org
