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UTICA – Apryl Trimble likes to “pay it forward,” as the old saying goes.

A �������� alumna and native of Utica, Trimble is now an English instructor at the college’s Utica Campus.

“I am a servant type of person,” Trimble said. “I believe in giving back what has been given to me. It gives me gratitude to help students in a way that instructors have helped me in my own life. I enjoy giving them opportunities that go beyond just the normal classroom.”

She is also a faculty adviser with Alpha Beta Xi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and coach of the Utica Dolls dance team. It’s a campus she was familiar with long before coming joining the ��������faculty in 2015, having been a member of the ��������Lady Bulldogs basketball team. She excelled in the classroom, too, having received the student HEADWAE award in 2008 and serving in student government.

“I feel really passionate about serving students and giving them opportunities they’ve not ever had. The payoff in teaching, for me, is seeing students after they’ve graduated and hearing how well they’ve done either academically or with life lessons. They usually say, ‘The things you taught me, I’m still using today.’”

She finished her education at Jackson State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English and, later, a master’s degree. In 2017, she received a specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Mississippi College, where she is pursuing a doctorate in the subject.

During her last year at Utica as a student, she tutored at night for Student Support Services, which helped her make the decision to teach college full time. Many a night then and many a class day now, she’s helped students stay in school when life’s pressures get them down.

As someone who got her master’s degree while teaching seventh and eighth grade classes at Utica Elementary Middle School, she knows those struggles first hand.

“I talk to students all the time about how I was once one of them, plus being a student-athlete and in student government. I excelled because I prioritized. Many times, students get overwhelmed and want to quit. But, it’s about being on-task with your priorities and not letting yourself being overwhelmed. I like to help students before they get to that point. You just try to connect with them and tell them, ‘If I can do it, you can do it, too,’” Trimble said.