Lion Leadership Institute shapes athletes beyond the game

Original Publication: The Lion's Roar, Office of Student Publications, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Publication Date: November 6, 2025

Role: Staff Reporter

Link: https://lionsroarnews.com/38180/lion-leadership-institute-shapes-athletes-beyond-the-game/on-campus/

Bridget Giaratano – Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Services & Administrative Operations (Taisia Bolsova)

The Lion Leadership Institute at Southeastern Louisiana University is helping student-athletes develop skills that extend far beyond the playing field. 

Founded six years ago as a luncheon program connecting student-athletes with professionals in their dream careers, it has grown into a comprehensive initiative focused on career readiness, personal development and community engagement. 

Bridget Giaratano, assistant athletic director for student-athlete services and administrative operations, has overseen the institute since this summer. 

“I like to tell students that this is like a playbook for the rest of their life, where we take skills student-athletes are already learning, like teamwork, dedication and mental toughness and translate them into building blocks for life,” Giaratano said. 

This fall, the institute began offering post-game interview workshops led by Natalie Kelly, a former women’s basketball student-athlete and current associate director of athletic communications. 

Each team receives a personalized session oriented to their sport, helping athletes gain confidence in handling media interactions. 

Sixth-year senior baseball player Triston Todorowski has participated with his team in one of the post-game interview workshops.

“These workshops are beneficial because a lot of athletes do not have prior experience. The only experience they get is from funny, unprofessional social media videos, and then whenever they get to a real post-match interview, they do not know how to act professionally,” Todorowski said. 

Next spring, the Lion Leadership Institute will partner with First Guaranty Bank to launch financial literacy programs and will also work with the Office of Career Services to help athletes create resumes tailored to Division I experience. 

Beyond career readiness, the Lion Leadership Institute prioritizes community and campus engagement. The institute works closely with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the International Student Committee, and the campus CARE Team to foster collaboration across departments. 

They also partner with campus organizations to organize awareness campaigns such as the Red Zone Initiative, where student-athletes use social media and video campaigns to promote sexual assault prevention.

Through these initiatives, the Lion Leadership Institute continues to uphold its mission of developing well-rounded student-athletes who excel not only in their sports but also as leaders in their communities and future careers. 

“They are more than athletes, and we want to invest in our student-athletes for life,” Giaratano said.