<P> April Kepner was born in Columbus, Ohio on April 23, 1982 . Her mother Karen is a teacher and her father Joe is a farmer . She is the second of four daughters; her sisters are Libby, Kimmie, and Alice . Kepner is initially a surgical resident at Mercy West Hospital . She joins the staff at Seattle Grace Mercy West after the merger of the two hospitals, alongside Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams), Reed Adamson (Nora Zehetner), and Charles Percy (Robert Baker). Kepner is first shown to possess a red diary, in which she writes all her feelings and thoughts which is stolen by Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh). Grey uses the personal information written in the notebook to unnerve and blackmail Kepner but later apologizes . After she made a mistake that led to a patient's death, she is fired . However, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) rehires her when he becomes the new Chief of Surgery . As she is not confident anymore, she spends her time doing errands for Shepherd and develops a crush on him, earning her the nickname "Shepherd's flunky". In the season six finale, she discovers the body of her best friend Reed Adamson, who has been shot . She later runs into the shooter, Gary Clark, who lets her go after she tells him about her life after remembering a technique she says she learned from Oprah . Following the shooting, Kepner and Avery move into Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) house . </P> <P> Kepner reveals that she is a virgin because she is a Christian and made a promise to God to stay a virgin until she was married, she also states that she thinks men find her annoying after yelling at Alex, Meredith, Lexie and Jackson about secrets, she claims that the fact that she is a 28 year old virgin is not a drinks conversation . She shows potential as a trauma surgeon during a trauma drill . She develops feelings for Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) who almost makes her lose her virginity . When Avery, now her best friend finds out about this, he assaults Karev . Later, Kepner agrees to go on a date with Robert Stark, believing him to have a good side . Her fellow residents make fun of her which prompts her to break up with him . April also impresses Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and she is ultimately granted the position of Chief Resident in the season seven finale . Kepner initially struggles with her new status as her fellow doctors do not listen to her and do not take her seriously . </P> <P> As the end of the fifth year of residency is near, the surgical residents, including Kepner, prepare for their boards exams for the different fellowships they plan on joining . The night before taking the exam, April loses her virginity to Avery . This causes her to re-evaluate her faith during her Boards Exams, making the examiners feel uncomfortable . It is revealed that she is the only one out of the residents to have failed her Boards Exams . She receives phone calls from other hospital retracting their offers of fellowships and is laid off from Seattle Grace . Although Avery has true feelings for her, she pushes him away because she believes that he feels guilty for having sex with her . As a celebration of the conclusion of their residencies, the former chief of surgery Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr .) organizes his annual dinner for them . The eighth season ends with Kepner, Avery, Karev and Webber waiting for Meredith and Yang, who are victims of an aviation accident . </P> <P> Months later, Hunt goes to visit April, who had moved back to her parents' farm in Moline, Ohio . In the wake of the tragic aviation accident, he offers her an attending position at the hospital . When she gets back to Seattle Grace, she resumes her sexual relationship with Avery, despite claiming she wants to re-virginise. April has a pregnancy scare and Jackson promises that he will be there every step of the way, even marry her, if she tests positive . When April finds out that she is not pregnant, she is overjoyed, but inadvertently hurts Jackson's feelings by saying that they dodged a bullet, seemingly thrilled that they don't have to get married anymore . Jackson breaks up with April . </P>

When do jackson and april move into meredith's house