Alumni Profiles

B.S., biology, with chemistry and integrated science concentrations, 2006

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine candidate

Mississippi State University

College of Veterinary Medicine

To watch an interview with Jennifer, click here.

A life-long animal lover, Jennifer Evans almost went to N.C. State University for its veterinary school. But Guilford College softball won her over, and boy is she glad it did.

“I didn’t know if it would be worth it, going to Guilford just to play softball,” she says. “After all, the state school had more resources — more professors, more students, more research, more of almost everything except softball. Truthfully, I was afraid of choosing a small school.”

The real fear? She was afraid that going to a college even smaller than her high school would mean, as she says, “missing out on social opportunities.” However, she found that it meant “just the opposite. I made so many more friends, lifelong friends and colleagues than I ever would have developed at a large school. It definitely was worth it.”

Evans pitched award-winning softball at Guilford College. You’d only be normal if you were afraid to stand in front of her fastball. After all, she’s pitched more than her share of shutouts. She excelled athletically and academically, too.

“I had at least a 3.5 GPA after my first semester,” she says, “and I thank all of my professors and coaches for that. See, they all worked with me to help make it happen. All of my professors worked with the coaches to be sure that practices, games and tests were always coordinated. It was amazing.”

So is Evans. She maintained that grade point average while also being Guilford's career leader in pitching wins (26), appearances (99), strikeouts (212), shutouts (8) and innings pitched (488.2). She even racked up a .299 batting average and — investing quality time outside of sports and academics — she served as a volunteer for four years at Horsepower, a nonprofit organization that aids mentally and physically disabled children through therapeutic horse riding. Evans fed, cleaned and medicated more than 20 horses.

At Guilford, Evans had a genetics and biochemistry professor who also served as her academic advisor, who actually became “my mentor, my colleague, my friend for life.” She credits that professor with introducing her to the world of research, as well as encouraging her to examine postgraduate options that were NOT vet schools.

“She wanted me to be sure that being a vet was more than just a childhood dream,” says Evans. “Thanks to her, I really looked at being a physician’s assistant, a medical researcher, even an M.D. And I’m so glad that I did, because now I know for certain that I am called to be a veterinarian.”

Evans says that getting into a vet school is actually more difficult than getting into medical school: “There are fewer vet schools, so there are fewer slots available.” She applied to the vet schools at Louisiana State University and at Mississippi State, was accepted at both and chose the latter.

How hard are the courses at vet school? “Thanks to Guilford College having given me the study skills to do well academically, I have had no problems whatsoever. I mean, there are students in my class who stress out, who really struggle to keep up, but Guilford had me fully prepared. Whew, am I grateful.”

What does the future hold for Jennifer Evans? At this point, she’s merely collecting her options. She might go into private practice (treating all sizes and shapes of animals); she might work for the government (performing some form of public health work); she might do vet research; or she might spend a few more years in a veterinary specialty (exotic animals, anesthesia, surgery, you name it).

This much is certain: You still don’t want to stand in front of her fastball.