May 29, 2010
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — Diana Keenan has been selected as the 2010 Division I Community Awareness Award Winner by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). A rising senior for the Vanderbilt lacrosse team, Keenan will be honored at the IWLCA All-American Banquet next month.
“We are so proud to have a someone like Diana on our team,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “She reminds us all that being a lacrosse player is only a part of who we are and what we do. At our challenging institution, Diana finds the time to do well academically, practice hard on a daily basis and then be a leader in the community. We could not be more happy for her and for what she brings to our program.”
The Locust Valley, N.Y., native has been involved in numerous community service initiatives during her three years at Vanderbilt. Diana has spent time volunteering at the Andrew Jackson Boys and Girls Club, the Ronald McDonald House, the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, Cumberland Heights’ nationally recognized alcohol and drug treatment center, and House of Mercy, a halfway home for mothers recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.
Through Vanderbilt’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Diana has participated in events like the Ross Elementary Christmas party and Westmeade Elementary Field Day. Diana has also found ways to combine her passions, connecting athletics and service through Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and Swim Across America, an organization which raises money for cancer awareness. With the Nashville chapter of Girls on the Run, Diana coached elementary girls to develop and sustain an active lifestyle and healthy self-image.
In the wake of the historic floods in Nashville, Diana and her Commodore teammates took time out of the postseason preparation to deliver meals to victims and volunteers working to clean up neighborhoods in West Nashville.
Last summer, Diana traveled to Yishun, Singapore to work with Students Care Service, an organization which helps underprivileged children. Through the group’s Social Enrichment programs, Diana mentored children and organized a year-round youth sports curriculum that integrated athletics with valuable life lessons.
At Vanderbilt, Diana is one of only 48 Ingram Scholars across campus. The prestigious Ingram Scholarship Program sponsors students who demonstrate a willingness and ability to combine a successful business or professional career with a lifelong commitment to finding solutions to critical societal problems.
