Diana Healy was drawn to Notre Dame Preparatory School because of tradition.
“What really drew me in was the traditions the school has, like gym meet. I think my family was pretty wrapped up in NDP and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Several family members attended the school and she wanted to continue the family legacy. Once she arrived on campus, she became more involved with other traditions that embody the spirit of the school, like service.
Diana initially became involved with NDP’s Camp Umoja, a summer program for inner-city youth, believing it would fulfill her service requirement for school. It did not but she quickly realized it fulfilled something inside her and sparked a passion that has continued to this day.
“In the process I fell in love with the kids and the camp,” she said. “I’m still involved and it’s now my life. Little did I think that I would do it for more than year or two.”
Her involvement with Camp Umoja was just the beginning of Diana’s devotion to helping others. While in college at Loyola University of Maryland, she participated in a mentoring program with Mother Seton Academy students. Mother Seton Academy, a co-sponsored ministry of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, serves middle school children from low-income families in Baltimore, MD.
She then went on to teach at Holy Angels Academy, specializing in special education.
“I am passionate about advocating for people with special needs from low-income families,” Diana said.
As recognition of Diana’s commitment to service and living the charism of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, she was awarded the Mother Caroline Friess Alumna Service Award at NDP’s Foundation Day liturgy on Friday, October 20th.
Fellow NDP alumnae Shawn Donohue Osmeyer, class of ’88, presented Diana with the honor.
“Diana embodies what we aspire to see in all of our students, that they have a connection to community, live selflessly, and pursue justice,” Shawn said.
Her passion for making a difference sparked at Camp Umoja but Diana looks to the words of a School Sister of Notre Dame as the initial revelation.
“My freshman year Sister Missy Gugerty came for career day and she brought this postcard and it was from a silly shampoo ad and it said on the back ‘Are you open?’ and she was talking about being open to Gods plan and opportunities,” Diana said. “She spoke about the idea of she who seeks is responsible. I think those lines really stuck with me. If I see injustices, what am I going to do to fix it?”
Diana encourages others to take a leap of faith and give service work a chance.
“I feel like there are service opportunities out there for everyone. For me, it really guided me into the teaching profession, especially special education,” she said.
In addition to her work with Camp Umoja, Diana helps organize NDP’s annual Crabs for Chas fundraiser. The event honors Chastity Brione Dunnaville, a close friend and classmate of Dianas who passed away in December 2012. Crabs for Chas funds the scholarship named for Chastity, awarded to a young woman in financial need.
“I do it because she was my best friend,” she said. “In my head it’s not technically service because it’s just what I do but it allows a girl in financial need to go to NDP.”
And Diana is working to spread a passion for service through her work at Johns Hopkins University as the School of Education School Liaison supervising interns in Baltimore City and Howard County school.
“I’m trying to figure out other ways to get my interns into the service mindset, so we’re working on things like starting a mentor program for students,” she said. “I can’t really let service go and I’m trying to get more involved.”
