BATON ROUGE — Joana Valle Costa was recognized by the Southeastern Conference for her efforts in the Baton Rouge community by being named to the SEC Community Service team Tuesday.
Valle Costa was one of 13 student-athletes selected to the team, part of the SEC’s continuing effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition.
“As student-athletes, we are leaders and by serving the community we can lead by example and show others how to be great,” Valle Costa said.
The senior from Lisbon, Portugal took part in LSU’s Halloween BOOzar, an event hosted by LSU that allows children from the community to dress up and trick-or-treat with their favorite student-athletes, as well as canned foods to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.
Valle Costa also helped host “Thanksgiving With the Tigers,” where kids are treated to a Thanksgiving meal and participate in a gift exchange with LSU student-athletes.
The LSU women’s tennis team also put on a post-match kids’ clinic in which Valle Costa instructed young aspiring tennis players the fundamentals of the game while spending time with them and their families.
Valle Costa has also worked with a non-profit student organization tutoring children with their school work.
“Just being a part of their success means a lot,” Valle Costa said. “Seeing these kids succeed and grow as students and as people makes me believe that doing little things can positively affect the community.”
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program follow the Lady Tigers on Twitter @lsuwten and @LSUJuliaSell, on Instagram @LSUWTen and on www.Facebook.com/lsuwten.