News: IMES community profile: April Gibbons

April Gibbons, IMES HR coordinator, previously worked at the MIT Department of Material Science and Engineering (DMSE).

Mindy Blodgett | IMES

April Gibbons grew up in Woburn, MA, and she joined IMES as a Human Resources Coordinator after serving as a Human Resources and Operations Assistant in DMSE. Before beginning her career in higher education administration, April spent seven years as a science teacher, where she discovered her passion for supporting students, colleagues, and thriving communities. Read on to learn more about April.

What makes the area you came from, distinctive, or interesting?

Before my mom was born, my great-grandfather and several siblings immigrated from Russia and built homes near one another in the same Woburn neighborhood where I still live today. The area also once had a gang of turkeys, led by one named Kevin, who chased residents, stopped cars, and occasionally blocked people from entering their own homes. Kevin clearly believed it was his neighborhood and we just simply lived there. 

You’re relatively new to IMES—what do you enjoy about working here, and/or at MIT? Any challenges you’d like to share?

I love working at MIT. It is an incredibly inspiring environment, and I have learned and grown so much in a relatively short amount of time. There is always something new to discover, which keeps the work exciting and ensures that I am never bored.

Can you tell us more about some of your past jobs? The most fun, or most challenging, job you’ve had?

Before transitioning into HR and high education, I was a middle school science teacher for approximately seven years. I loved teaching, but over time, I realized that my passion for learning and professional growth extended beyond the classroom. Working alongside my former colleagues on the DMSE HR team has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my career.

What is your idea of a perfect day?

My perfect day would be a greatest-hits compilation of my favorite memories: 

the day we brought home our floofy girl, Poppy

The day my husband proposed in Harvard Square

Our wedding day

Add good food, our four-legged bff, a crossword puzzle and absolutely nowhere urgent to be

What is an interesting fact about you, that you’d like to share?

I have completed two marathons: the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon. Somehow, this is still less humbling than the fact that my dog has more Instagram followers than I do. You can contribute to the imbalance by following her at @woof.itspoppy

Who do you admire most, and why?

I admire RuPaul for building a platform that celebrates individuality and creates space for people to live loudly and proudly as themselves. He has shown that reinvention does not require diluting who you are and that authenticity, confidence, and community can be powerful forces for change.

Do you have any hobbies you’d like to tell us about? What do you do in your spare time?

I love spending time with my husband and our pup, Poppy. We enjoy camping, a great cup of coffee or glass of wine, Jellycat Hunting, playing video games and catching up on shows, and doing the NYT crossword puzzle together, with varying levels of confidence and accuracy.

What is the most fun vacation you’ve ever had? 

For our wedding, my husband and I had a joint bachelor and bachelorette weekend. We have been together since high school, so we naturally share many of the same friends, and we invited our siblings as well. We rented a large house on Cape Cod for the weekend, and having so many of our favorite people together made it one of my favorite trips.

What is on your bucket list? A major vacation, a special skill to learn, etc.?

I would love to learn how to play piano. I would also like to go on a JellyCat Hunt across Europe, which is both a vacation and a very serious research expedition. We, of course, would bring Poppy.

What fictional character do you relate to the most, and why?

Luna Lovegood. She is completely herself, quietly perceptive, and wonderfully unbothered by other people’s confusion. An icon of staying in our own lane, even when that lane includes invisible creatures.

Do you have a favorite song? 

I do not have one favorite song, but Olivia Rodrigo’s “Maggots for Brains” has been living in my head rent-free lately. My favorite artists include Noah Kahan, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and every member of One Direction, collectively and individually. I also love Hamilton, Mamma Mia, and the Guardian of the Galaxy mixtapes. My music taste ranges from thoughtful indie to show tunes, and dramatically pretending I am saving the galaxy to a ‘70s soundtrack.

What’s your favorite TikTok, Instagram or YouTube video? Share a link!

Naturally, it has to be one of Poppy’s videos. She is household primary content creator, and I am simply part of her unpaid production team.