April Ward:
CLASS OF 1993
Harnett Central High SchoolClass of 1993
Angier, NC
University of Southern California - BusinessClass of 1997
Los angeles, CA
University of Southern CaliforniaClass of 1997
Los angeles, CA
Kramer Middle SchoolClass of 1989
Willimantic, CT
Windham Center Elementary SchoolClass of 1986
Windham, CT
April's Story
Life
I'm now married, decided it was time to make an honest man out of my college sweetheart. Although we met in CA we're both from good ol' NC so picking a wedding site was the easiest decision. We had a beautiful outdoor ceremony in New Bern with all our friends and family. Planning the wedding was certainly an eye-opening experience. I thought I had a lot of family but my husband has over 30 aunts & uncles! I would count up all the cousins but the number changes monthly. I think there are entire counties comprised of just family members, we won't get into the implications of that...The kids at the wedding almost out numbered the adults but we kept them in line with little goodie bags, song & dance, plus a magician. Okay, so the magician was really for me, but the kids got a kick out of it too! How did we manage to feed the masses? Why with sweet tea, NC BBq, hush puppies, and collard greens of course. Nothin' says lovin' like a little bbq.
After 12 years we finally broke free of the black hole that is Los Angeles, and the best part of all was that it was paid for by my company. I'm now a new fangled New England woman, working a wonderful job and supporting my husband who is currently back in school. The best part of all is that he does all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I haven't washed clothes or done the grocery shopping in over a year! Life is good and it's starting to get even better.
We were preapproved for a mortgage and we're now house hunting in MA. I know for most of you still in NC you're thinking, "so, I've owned a house for 5 years now." In LA you only own a home if you're rich, lucky, or old, and we didn't qualify for any of those. So in the space of a year we went from perhaps one day owning a condo by age 40 to hopefully owning our own house with land at 30! Hopefully the next time I update my life news on Classmates I will be a homeowner.
Later,
April
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orkplace
After much job hopping I've finally found my place. I've worked for diverse companies such as in the corporate offices of a young woman's clothing chain (my sister's hated it when I gave up my employee discount); a large financial company where I learned all about investing money; a music company where I actually had the opportunity to watch the American Music Awards in person; a company that manufactured high-tech dental equipment; and a software company that creates software for engineers. How did I have the opportunity to work in such cool companies? By being a geeky accountant. No, I don't know anything about taxes, nor am I a CPA. I'm an analyst and an Excel and pivot table wiz. It's surprising how far an Excel spreadsheet can take you.
I've been at my current company for over 4 years, 3 of which were spent at a small office in Los Angeles, and this last year in the headquarters in Concord, MA. The company makes software for engineers in the 3-D CAD/CAE/FEA market. Our software has helped create items such as the robotic arm on the Mars Rover, an Orange County chopper, and trains, planes, and automobiles.
What's my role? To keep on top of our competition and present to the senior exec team plus make sure we stay profitable (and protect our profit-sharing bonuses) by supplying managers and VP's analysis on their expenses. My big project every year is to help put together the budgets for the following year. There's nothing like a vlookup statement and pivot table. I'm a geek who's finally found her place.
The best part of all is working with brilliantly funny people and a company that does all it can to keep its employees happy. The benefits are amazing and our company loves to party as hard as it loves to work. But what else would you expect from a company founded by a member of the infamous MIT 6 from "Bringing Down the House". I hope everyone is so lucky...
Later,
April
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