From Biology to Baking: Millersville Alumna Finds Recipe for Success

What started as a hobby has turned into a full-time career for Millersville University alumna Lynn April '08, who combined her background in biology with a passion for baking to create a successful online platform with over 150,000 Instagram followers and millions of website readers a month.

April grew up in Harrisburg and attended Susquehanna Township School District, where she was heavily involved in school activities, particularly developing a passion for field hockey. When the time came to choose a college, she had no doubt it would be Millersville.

"My mom was a student there in the '60s, and I never wanted to go anywhere else," she shares.

April was recruited to play field hockey and entered Millersville as a pre-optometry major in biology. Her initial plan was to play field hockey through her junior year before transferring to Philadelphia to complete specialized schooling in optometry.

However, during her sophomore year she realized she wasn't ready to leave Millersville or the team. "When I was a sophomore, I couldn't bear leaving Millersville or missing my senior field hockey season," April shares.

While unexpected, this path had many positive outcomes for her. "I stayed with my friends and my sport, and I loved Millersville and Lancaster so much that I stuck around for four years after graduating with my degree," she says. During that time, April also discovered her love for baking. After graduation, April worked in an immunology lab in West Grove, PA and wanted a hobby while waiting for her now husband, Matt, to finish his Millersville degree in 2011. She enrolled in a cake decorating class and learned how to bake from scratch.

"I baked my first scratch cake in 2010 at the age of 25, and from that moment on I was hooked," she said. "It was like science, but tastier."

Baking quickly grew from a hobby into a side business. April began taking commissioned orders under a cottage bakery license for her business Lucky Duck Cakes. She operated the bakery from 2010 until 2014 before transitioning to sharing recipes online through her website, Fresh April Flours.

She notes that her approach to baking is heavily influenced by her scientific career. April frequently advocates for her followers to use a scale when baking, preaching, "If you are baking without a scale, you are doing it wrong."

"I've definitely inspired others to take a calculated and scientific approach to baking so results are never a surprise," she shares.

This approach has resonated with her followers and helped her connect with more and more of them. April claims that the "secret ingredient" to growing and maintaining a large online presence is authenticity. "I exist as a whole person named Lynn with likes, dislikes, quirks, habits, interests and opinions," she says. "It's been really rewarding to share those things openly and find people who resonate with my personality."

April went full-time with her baking business in 2019,, and also co-owns a gym with her husband and while raising two young children.

She says Millersville has remained an important part of her story. In 2025 after the passing of her father, April and her mother established the Ron DeAngelis Memorial Field Hockey Scholarship to honor his longtime support of the Millersville field hockey program.

"Millersville was and always will be an important and meaningful place for my family," April says.

Looking back, the experiences and relationships she formed at the University helped shape the life she has today.

"Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Millersville. I met lifelong friends and the love of my life, and I have remained involved with Millersville throughout my adulthood.I can confidently say that without Millersville, my life would not be this fun.This life that started at Millersville is one I wake up every day excited to live."

Check out her website here.