Forged by FAU - Patsy Zimmerman-Keenan
2/1/2021
Probably because of what I've been through, I instill in them (her children) the importance of education, time management and passion for the sport they're playing. And I constantly let them know how much I loved college – it was the absolute best time of my life – to hopefully encourage them that's the path they want to take as well. I absolutely only have great memories of college, which I guess not everyone can say, and that's big.
As a high schooler, Patsy Zimmerman-Keenan knew one thing about her future: it involved the beach.
"If I don't get a scholarship to a school I really want to go to, I remember telling my parents I'm going to Hawaii to be a bartender on the beach," said Zimmerman-Keenan, a former multi-sport star from Gainesville, Florida. "That was absolutely what I was going to do."
Then Zimmerman-Keenan took a path that blended her love of the ocean and athletic prowess: a basketball scholarship offer from Florida Atlantic University. The Owls had a rising hoops team, an exercise science program and a Boca Raton campus located 1.8 miles from the beach, making it a perfect fit.
Zimmerman-Keenan got to FAU in 1987 and thrived both on and off the court. Under then-coach Wayne Allen, she competed against top DI schools such as Florida, Miami and Tennessee. She also grew to appreciate the value of education and bonded with her fellow student-athletes.
"It was such an awesome experience on so many levels," said Zimmerman-Keenan, whose 1988-89 squad went 21-8.
That experience didn't end upon her graduation. Zimmerman-Keenan accepted a graduate assistant coaching position immediately after the conclusion of her playing career in 1989. She got to fulfill a life-long dream of coaching basketball while pursuing a master's degree in exercise science, with the added perk of a partial scholarship.
Zimmerman-Keenan's teachings extended beyond the court. During her grad school years, she served as an adjunct professor in the exercise science program. She eventually taught at the university for seven years, a period she describes as "the best time of my life."
That time came to end, though, when a new state law restricted the number of hours adjunct professors like Zimmerman-Keenan were allowed to teach. So she began searching for a new career, one that challenged her educationally and intellectually.
Her decision-making process, which proved to be successful, wasn't exactly methodical.
"On an absolute whim," Zimmerman-Keenan said, "I decided to go to law school."
Zimmerman-Keenan applied to one law school after doing "really well" on her LSAT: Nova Southeastern University. Her decision paid off, literally and figuratively, with a scholarship. She says earning that scholarship felt "like winning the lottery."
After graduating from law school in 2002 with summa cum laude honors, Zimmerman-Keenan began practicing white-collar criminal defense. She worked in law for close to a decade, arguing cases in the federal court all the way to the 11th circuit court of appeals.
"Not too many dull moments in that field," Zimmerman-Keenan said. "Someone is always coming up and concocting some scheme to try and rip people off, so it kept it very interesting, probably made me look at people differently."
Zimmerman-Keenan left her full-time law career five years ago to spend more time with her three daughters, now ages 8-14. They're athletes like their mother, and Zimmerman-Keenan coaches their travel softball teams in addition to running Fort Lauderdale's Little League Softball division.
Athletics isn't the only path Zimmerman-Keenan is guiding her children through, however. Zimmerman-Keenan is also extolling the benefits of education and the college experience, both of which she gained an immense appreciation for at FAU.
"Probably because of what I've been through, I instill in them the importance of education, time management and passion for the sport they're playing," Zimmerman-Keenan said. "And I constantly let them know how much I loved college – it was the absolute best time of my life – to hopefully encourage them that's the path they want to take as well. I absolutely only have great memories of college, which I guess not everyone can say, and that's big."
Zimmerman-Keenan chose Boca Raton's beach over Oahu's out of high school, and after three college degrees and a law career it's safe to say her decision netted a lot more than sun and sand.