Lea Jaklen Honored by VSU Athletics

Pictured, from left to right, are Herb Reinhard, director of Athletics; Lea Jaklen; and Dr. Brian Gerber, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

VALDOSTA — Lea Jaklen is a recipient of Valdosta State University’s 2016 Academic Athlete Award.

The 23-year-old said, “I was really happy about receiving this award, as it not only honored performance in one very important area in my life — athletics — but also performance in the classroom, which I consider essential as well.” She also said that she is proud to share this honor with her teammate and friend, Taylor Holder.

Jaklen’s scholastic achievements and service to both the university and her community were recognized during VSU’s annual Academic Honors and Awards Dinner, where she was honored by Herb Reinhard, director of athletics.

Jaklen graduated from VSU with a Bachelor of Business Administration in international business on May 7. She plans to immediately pursue a Master of Science in business administration and engineering at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, where she will focus her studies on production engineering and operations research. She said her dream is to “work in production planning and production controlling or consulting.”

During her time as a student at VSU, Jaklen was a member of the Lady Blazer volleyball team, which she played outside hitter, and the Society of International Students. She was a regular on the Dean’s List; earned the 2016 Outstanding Senior in International Business Award from the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration; and was named to the Gulf South Conference’s All-Tournament Team in 2014 and 2015, Second Team in 2015, and All-Academic Team in 2015.

Jaklen is the daughter of Matthias Jaklen and Barbara Volk. She is a native of Nickenich, a city in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in Germany. 

On the Web:

http://www.vstateblazers.com

https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/business/marketing-international-business/international-business-.php

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities. 

The story above demonstrates VSU's commitment to meeting the following goals: 

Goal 1: Recruit, retain, and graduate a quality, diverse student population and prepare students for roles as leaders in a global society.

Goal 4: Foster an environment of creativity and scholarship.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/administration/planning/strategic-plan.php to learn more.