Apryl Walker Pope ’01 has a diverse list of seemingly unrelated careers on her resume. Despite how different her career pursuits may seem, each job – from Peace Corps volunteer to high school math teacher to her current position as a financial advisor – shares one goal: improving the lives of others.
Pope, who graduated from Wittenberg with an economics major and a Spanish minor, is the founder and CEO of Apryl Pope Financial LLC in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
As a student, Pope never expected to be a financial advisor, but after volunteering with Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University to teach adults how to make wise financial decisions, she found herself being led down a new and exciting career path.
“I was finally able to marry my passion for education with my desire to help families create better financial lives,” she said. “This is what I love about what I do.”
Apryl Pope Financial helps people get out of debt, invest in their futures and in their children’s futures, and prepare for retirement. Her company also aids small businesses that are creating jobs and opportunities in their local communities.
At Wittenberg, Pope was actively involved on campus as a student-athlete on the basketball team and in the rugby club. She was also a member of Concerned Black Students (CBS), served as a residential advisor, was involved in the American International Association (AIA), and served on Student Senate.
Since graduating, Pope has made sure to preserve her Wittenberg roots, serving for a time as Wittenberg’s assistant director of alumni relations. She married her husband, former admission counselor Kenny Pope ’99, by the Wittenberg Fountain.
Believing that her liberal arts education helped prepare her to be the leader and successful businesswoman she is today, she continues to live out the important lessons she learned at Wittenberg.
Although her economics background helped, Pope thinks "being a part of a liberal arts institution where I was exposed to many different academic areas and cultures" proved to be of tremendous value, she said.
“Being able to run student organizations, organize campus-wide events, and really sharpen my writing and public speaking skills are some of the best things I took away from Wittenberg.”
For current students interested in a career in finance, Pope advises them to first figure out what their passion is.
“Do you like sitting in front of computers and analyzing the market? If so, look into becoming a CFA,” she said. “If you enjoy client-facing and working directly with families to help create strategies to use their financial resources to create a better life, look into becoming a CFP ®. Whatever you do, go for the highest designation you can get.”
By Kim Estenson ’19
