Kelley Swanson, 18; Alexandria Graduate

Kelley Duncan Swanson, 18, a soccer star, National Honor Society member and 2005 graduate of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, died June 30 while on a graduation trip to the Outer Banks, N.C. The cause of death was atypical blood coagulation complication of septicemia.

Miss Swanson was born in Alexandria and attended Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology and George Washington Middle School. Her academic achievements included Advanced Placement English, government, calculus and Latin V. In addition to her membership in the National Honor Society, she was an active member of Latin Certamen, Key Club and the yearbook staff. She planned to attend Virginia Tech in the fall with her twin, Katey, and expected to play club soccer.

Soccer was Miss Swanson's passion. She began her soccer career at age 5 as a founding member of the Purple Ds, an Alexandria recreation team know for its skill and spirit. During middle school, she played for the Alexandria Torpedoes travel team. For the past two seasons, she led the T.C. Williams varsity women's soccer team as co-captain with her sister. Compact and scrappy, she was known for her tenacity against players twice her size.

For more than five years, she was involved with Youth Opportunity Sports, providing "buddy" support to young Alexandria athletes with disabilities. As she noted in her college application, she was "determined that a disability would not keep any Alexandria child from experiencing the adrenaline rush and team spirit of sports."

She was committed to community service and enhancing the lives of others. With her parents' encouragement, she often brought home friends and classmates in need of a haven, whether for an hour, a week or a year.

In addition to her twin, survivors include her parents, Margaret and Sanden Swanson of Alexandria; a sister, Lindsey Lulu, and two brothers, Ryan and Andrew, all of Alexandria; her maternal grandparents, Billy and Betty Barrett of Alexandria; and her paternal grandmother, Lori "Nainey" Swanson of Tucson.