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Success has more than one definition. For April Walters (MBA/HRMC, 2020; DM, in progress), it includes the traditional hallmarks, such as school and work. But it also encompasses something broader.

As her friend Brittany Lee puts it: “April has a heart of service, and she takes care of people well. One of the most influential things I have learned from her life is that it is our responsibility to serve our community well and to be a voice for those less fortunate. Success isn’t monetary.”

Here’s a deeper look at how Walters defines success in school, in her community and in a retail career that spans 24 years and counting. 

Walters didn’t start out planning a career in retail. In fact, she initially had her heart set on becoming a dentist. A biology teacher during her K–12 years helped connect the dots between April’s love of odontology to a field of study and career.

“I found a passion for biology,” says Walters. “My teacher was just amazing.”

Once she graduated, Walters became pregnant but stuck to her goal and headed off to a brick-and-mortar college. It was close to home in Baton Rouge, and she pursued a degree in microbiology with the goal of becoming a dentist. Even with a young son in tow, she completed her bachelor’s degree ahead of schedule.

She also established a schedule. “I took earlier classes in college while my son was in day care, and as he grew and entered school, we adjusted our schedules. We built a routine: homework together, dinner together and then mommy-and-me time before starting it all over again the next day.”

Then, the father of Walters’ son passed away, and Walters reevaluated her career path. She felt she could no longer leave Louisiana to attend dental school. Instead, she looked to what she had been doing to support herself while in school — retail — and began to see how her skills and strengths might be applied in that field instead.  

She had started working for a membership-based retail warehouse while in college. That’s where she and Lee met, and she stayed there for 13 years. She focused on developing herself and others and worked her way up from supervisor to various assistant manager roles. Her work ethic caught the attention of a customer who recruited her away to a national pharmacy chain.

“I met the district manager of [the organization], and she was like, ‘Your attitude is amazing. Your service is amazing. I would love for you to be on my team,’” Walters recalls.

She took the opportunity and spent the next seven years growing her career as store manager. Near the end of her tenure, Walters felt compelled to return to her first love — school. 

Walters started researching schools and appreciated UOPX’s flexibility and her employer’s available tuition reimbursement offering. She also found the educational path she desired.

“I was already in the management field,” she shares, “so that’s what drew me to get my MBA. Then I did the HR concentration, because I do aspire to be in HR within the organization.”

Going back to school for her graduate degree meant rediscovering some of the methods that had worked while she pursued her bachelor’s degree as a young mom. This time, Walters was working 12-hour days, so adding school into the mix meant she had to be highly organized.

“I would always do my assignments ahead of time to make sure I wasn’t cramming everything in at the last minute,” she says.

The flexibility and the instructors’ responsiveness made the process not only doable but enjoyable. Soon, Walters had completed her MBA, and found more change was waiting around the corner.

Walters’ next career move came (once again) from someone who noticed her accomplishments. She was posting about her team successes on LinkedIn^® when a recruiter for Dollar General reached out. Soon, Walters found herself interviewing for and getting the job as a district manager for the company. Thanks to the skills she cultivated in her MBA program, she felt ready to transition into the leadership role.

“The different competencies,” she says, “getting more into the SMART goals, I think that did help me [move] from becoming a store manager running one [location] to being able to … run 20 [locations].”

Today, Walters manages 20 stores, and she structures her weeks to handle a diverse range of tasks and needs. She dedicates Mondays as in-office days, and she keeps Fridays flexible in case a store manager needs assistance. Then, Walters spends Tuesdays through Thursdays in different stores, intentionally leading by example.

“This gives me an opportunity to teach and train my managers,” she says. “I always tell individuals, ‘I lead leaders.’ My leaders have to see me leading them. If I am outside sweeping trash, the store manager should know, ‘My boss is sweeping trash, I should be out here sweeping trash.’ You have to build that foundation to let them know that you know that everybody matters.”

Lee confirms this approach works. 

Walters’ belief “that everybody matters” applies not only to the workplace but also in her community, where she is a member of and , both community service organizations.  

“It’s all about giving back, all about community service and just helping the community,” says Walters.

She found her way to the Order of the Eastern Star through someone who, again, noticed her work ethic.

“She was just a regular customer who said, ‘You should be part of this organization. You have the right mindset; you love helping people,’” Walters says.

One of Walters’ most memorable experiences with the order happened when her chapter was randomly handing out gift cards to those in need. While walking through a major big-box retailer, she overheard a young girl asking her grandmother for a lunchbox. Her grandmother said no, they didn’t have the money.

“That’s when I was able to talk to the grandmother and let her know who I was, and it just touched my heart that we were able to help that grandmother and that [child] because she was able to get that lunch bag that she wanted,” Walters recounts.  

Despite her philanthropic work and upward professional trajectory, Walters isn’t done. Remember, success is a subjective metric and, for Walters, it appears to include ongoing education. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Management at ������ý.

“I love school,” she says. “I love people, I love giving back. It’s a passion of mine.”

It’s also a passion that keeps driving her forward.

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