F&M Stories
2025 Graduate and Dedicated Diplomat is Conference Finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year
A Diplomat athlete鈥檚 reach extends beyond their impact on scoreboards and win-loss records.
Kennedy Wilburn 鈥�25 is a prime example. Wilburn recently for the NCAA's prestigious Woman of the Year Award. Now in its 35th year, the Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership.
A forward and team captain for the F&M , Wilburn was widely known for creating a positive impact on campus and in the Lancaster community.
Wilburn was a two-time Academic All-District honoree (2023 and 2024). As a student, Wilburn was a psychology and public health major with a minor in Africana Studies. She served on the ; mentored first-year students in the African Americans in Paris course; served as a teaching assistant and mentor for a Design & Statistics class; was a public relations officer for , a female empowerment group; and volunteered as a peer health educator, teaching fellow students about topics such as bystander intervention, consent, healthy relationships, and sexual assault awareness.
Off campus, Wilburn volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club of Lancaster, tutored math and read to children at local elementary schools, and served as a partner runner for Girls on the Run, a nonprofit that combines exercise and mentorship to ensure that 鈥渆very girl can know and activate their limitless potential.鈥�
Wilburn is now pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in public health at the University of Pennsylvania.
Of course, Wilburn excelled on the basketball court, too. She earned All-Centennial Honorable Mention in 2024-25, averaging 12.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest. The Marlton, N.J., resident ranked third in the conference in rebounding and seventh in points while logging 28.2 minutes per game.
Kennedy Wilburn 鈥�25 Leads on and off the Court
Kennedy Wilburn 鈥�25 wanted a college where she could excel on the basketball court and in the classroom. She found that and more at F&M, where she became women鈥檚 basketball co-captain, a member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Council, and an active participant in other student organizations on campus.
Read more 禄Related Articles
June 15, 2026
鈥榃e Create These Opportunities鈥�: Finding Mentors and Making Connections
Rihanca Joseph 鈥�28 traveled nearly 400 miles from her home in Massachusetts to pursue a passion for health care at F&M 鈥� a dream inspired by her mother鈥檚 work in the field. On campus, Joseph has channeled her natural gift for building relationships, bridging her love for the College community with her goal of providing compassionate, patient-centered care.
June 10, 2026
鈥業 Found My People at F&M鈥�: Discovering a Future and a Family at F&M
For Julia Walsh 鈥�28, F&M isn鈥檛 just where she studies; it鈥檚 where she鈥檚 found direction, community and the confidence to approach her future with purpose. 鈥淚 know that everyone says it takes time to find your people at college, but I found my people,鈥� she said.
June 3, 2026
Leveraging the Diplomat Network, On and Off the Court
For Asad 鈥淪id鈥� Syed 鈥�27, F&M Men鈥檚 Basketball is more than a team. It鈥檚 a vital support system 鈥� one that introduced him to influential alumni mentors, gave him his own faculty fan cheering from the stands, and instilled the confidence 鈥嬧�媡o grow, improve and sustain excellence.