Alumni Profiles

B.S., chemistry (with high honors) with a concentration in physics, 2001

Doctor of Physical Therapy Candidate

Northwestern University

Chicago, Ill.

To watch a video with Jenny, click here.

Jenny Akman has conquered many worlds and won many awards, athletic as well as academic. Nonetheless, the Northwestern University graduate program in physical therapy — where she now is earning the doctorate degree — is ranked among the very top in the United States. That means it is difficult to get in. Jenny was accepted because she presented a great GPA, incredible work experiences … and one other important credential: a letter of recommendation from the faculty at Guilford College.

Other applicants to the graduate program had glowing letters, also. But, according to Jenny, the letter from Guilford had a personal touch. “Our professors at Guilford really know us, and care about us, as individuals. That means they can write detailed letters of recommendation that talk about us very specifically. I think it helped with my application process,” she says.

Jenny offers this advice to any high school students who are considering enrolling at Guilford: “Guilford College is a great place for many reasons, including how supportive it is. The faculty, the staff members, the other students — they’re all there to help you. You have to do the work, but the scaffolding is there.”

She also points out that if you go to Guilford, you will be allowed, even encouraged, to assume positions of leadership. “Other schools might have as many opportunities for you to be a leader,” she says, “but not as quickly as at a small school like Guilford. And even if you’ve never thought about being in a leadership slot before, the opportunities are available.”

Jenny speaks from experience. She was awarded the Nereus C. English Award for Leadership in Athletics and Academics and the Women’s Soccer Team Award for Excellence in Leadership. Also she served as a College Marshal, and she was named to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, as well as a member of the GTE/Verizon Academic All-District III College Women’s At-Large First Team.

It goes on. She received Guilford’s CRC Freshman Chemistry Award, and she was named to the Student-Athlete Honor Rolls (even in her beginning semesters). Keep in mind that while racking up academic honors, Jenny spent four years as the starting goalkeeper and two years as the captain of the college’s varsity soccer team. She also was a participant in the Guilford College Study Abroad program. “I skied and traveled my way through Italy,” she says, “while living and studying in the Alps. It was fantastic.”

Her experiences in the world of work, which she also credits as a factor in her being accepted into Northwestern’s graduate program, are equally impressive. She worked as an analyst for one of the world’s largest shipping companies, Maersk Line, Limited. She was a chemist for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. And she worked for the SFX Sports Group, a leading talent management and marketing agency that represents more than 500 of the world’s elite professional athletes. Jenny assisted with the company’s NBA clients.

She also served as a communications intern for D.C. United, the successful professional soccer club in Washington, D.C., and as an intern for Washington Sports and Entertainment, a sports management company that owns the Washington Wizards of the NBA.

Throughout all her working time, she also coached soccer. She worked with high school girls’ teams, with various other girls’ travel teams … she even conducted all kinds of soccer clinics.

So that’s how she was accepted at Northwestern: Dean’s List grades, athletic accomplishment, personalized letters of recommendation and a stellar work resume, along with coaching. How’s graduate school going for her? “It’s difficult, she says, “but the confidence that I developed in the academic programs at Guilford College has helped me cope with the difficult demands of the Northwestern program.” In fact, her only complaint so far is “the winter! Talk about awful — it’s negative degrees in Chicago in the winter.” Quite a change from her years at Guilford College.

Jenny plans to use her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree to work in the area of youth sports rehabilitation. She is particularly interested in injury prevention programs, focusing on injuries that come from overuse.

She sends this advice to high school prospects: Whatever college you’re considering, don’t rely on brochures. Take the time to visit in person. “When I visited Guilford, I was really impressed with the support that was so obvious, and, of course, I loved the soccer program right away. Visiting made all the difference.”