Born in Edmonton, Avril moved to Victoria with her parents and two sisters when she was just two years old. She attended Hillcrest Elementary and Arbutus Junior High before returning to Alberta. There she went to high school in St. Albert, took her first year of college at Olds College, and completed the Office Assistant Program at Grant McEwan College in Edmonton. Moving back to the milder island climate of Victoria, Avril attended Camosun College for two more years.

Avril loves animals, both caring for them and working with them. Her family had many pets when she was growing up, including bunnies, birds, and dogs – currently she has a beautiful year-old ragdoll cat as part of her family. In addition to the great people that she gets to work with at ELVH, Avril is inspired each shift by seeing all of the animals who come in for their appointments, always taking extra time to greet them and make them feel welcome. Appreciating the opportunity to learn new skills, Avril also likes to make sure she’s completed her own checklist of hospital tasks.

Avril has plenty of family living close by (her parents, two sisters, two brothers-in-law, five nephews and one niece!) and she enjoys seeing them often. Particularly fond of travel, Avril especially liked her trips to Hawaii, California, and Australia! Outside of her time at ELVH, Avril volunteers weekly at the Victoria Disability Resource Centre, and is a member of REACH – an inclusive music program that puts on three live performances in Victoria each year. When she’s not working or volunteering, Avril can be found relaxing at home with her cat, catching up on TV, or meeting a friend for coffee.