Parks & Rec: April’s Slow Transformation Over The Years (In Pictures)

April Ludgate was part of the heart and soul of Pawnee’s Parks and Rec. Department. After starting out as an intern, April reluctantly grew with the department because of her love for her co-workers. With Ron Swanson as her icon and mentor, April grew a lot through Parks and Recreation’s seven seasons.

Over the years, it wasn’t just April’s style that changed, it was her demeanor and level of focus that matured. But let’s be frank, her monotone voice and sadistic love for all things gory never changed and fans are happy about that. To see all the ways April has transformed over the years, scroll below!

7 Season One: A Quiet And Judgmental Intern

In the first season, April is the park’s department’s newest intern. She has no interest in working for the government but had to fulfill an internship responsibility, which landed her with Leslie Knope and co. While some fans found April’s personality annoying among an overly positive group, her stark differences made her special.

With a full set of bangs and a love for graphic tees and oversized sweaters, April also showed viewers that she had a boyfriend, Derek, who also had a boyfriend himself.

6 Season Two: April Continues To Grow While Also Developing Feelings For Andy

In the second season, April accepts a full-time position at the parks department as Ron Swanson’s assistant. She also makes a transformative move by breaking up with Derek. Now that she’s single and working full-time at the parks’ department, it appears that April is slowly growing into a mature young woman.

April realizes Andy is the only person who can genuinely make her laugh, which makes her despise his ex-girlfriend Ann all the more out of intimidation. By the end of the season, they admit they like each other but April freezes when she finds out Ann kissed him.

5 Season Three: From Venezuela To A Married Woman

Due to budget cuts, the Pawnee government had to shut down. April stayed in Venezuela for three months during her time off, which landed her a new boyfriend. This, of course, made Andy crazy and he spent the entire season trying to win her back. He eventually wore her down and the two had a surprise wedding by the end of the season. Meanwhile, April was busy trying to plan the Harvest Festival once Pawnee’s government was back in action.

In this season, April’s style was similar to season one with her love of jeans and sweaters but instead of graphic tees, she began wearing business casual tops similar to what Ann would wear.

4 Season Four: New Job Responsibilities & A Dog Mom

April and Andy proved they were #RelationshipGoals when they threw an epic Halloween party at their house and adopted Champion in the fourth season. And just as their relationship grew, so did April’s career.

She helped Leslie with youth outreach during her city council campaign and took over most of Leslie’s work so she could focus on her campaign. It was a thrill for April fans to see her take on more work and excel at it. In this season, April’s style matured with her as she began wearing more cozy layers.

3 Season Five: A Big Move To D.C.

Fans were thrown through a loop when Ben had to move from Pawnee to Washington D.C. for work and took April with him. It proved how serious April took her work for her to leave Pawnee, Andy, and Champion.

When April comes back to Pawnee, she becomes the Deputy Director of Pawnees Animal Control, something that gives her passion and a reason to work. She changed for the better after landing this gig because it inspired her to apply to Bloomington, a great veterinary school.

2 Season Six: Long Distance Pushed April To Lean On Others

When Andy gets a job in London, April stays in Pawnee, and the two start a long-distance relationship. With Andy away, she leans on Donna and Leslie for support. By this time, April has totally transformed into a young woman. She may act like a kid sometimes but she looks like a well-established young woman.

When Andy came back to Pawnee, she became his manager so he could focus on his music career. At the end of the season, it was shown that April was still working with Leslie.

1 Season Seven: April Finally Found Herself

It would be unfair to say April was ever lost but by the seventh season, she truly found her purpose. She and Andy became home-owners and she realized she no longer wanted to work in the parks department. After visiting the American Service Foundation in D.C. with Leslie, she realized she’d rather work there.

After applying for an interview, she landed the job and made the hard choice to leave Pawnee. Leslie took it hard but was happy to see April spread her wings. By the end of the series, it was shown that April and Andy became parents and were loving their lives in Washington. April didn’t just look the part by season seven, she was truly thriving and living the life she didn’t know she wanted.

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Lynn Gibbs
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Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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