Former football player helps tackle issues
Matthew Leituala used to come to Logan just to play against Utah State University’s football team.
Now he’s the new adviser to ASUSU, recently transitioning from his former position with the multicultural student services, which he held for the past eight months.
“USU is very fortunate to have Matthew on campus working with the students,” said Tiffany Evans, director of the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. “He brings a lot of experience professionally and personally and has outstanding leadership training and interpersonal skills.”
Leituala received a master’s in sports administration from the University of Idaho, where he played football as a lineman. He has worked at Washington State University as an academic adviser in athletics and began working with the multicultural students at USU in February 2005.
Leituala’s responsibilities as ASUSU adviser will include leadership training, working with ASUSU programmers and with activities, diversity and organizations within ASUSU, Evans said.
After switching positions in late October, Leituala traveled with students to the National Association of Campus Activities’ national convention in Portland, Ore. He said his new position will allow him to reach more students.
“I hope to advance all students, not just multicultural students,” Leituala said. “I can help people understand who they are and give them an empowerment to become the best leaders they can be.”
Evans said ASUSU’s goal is to make sure all students who want to be involved have that opportunity, and Leituala fits in with that goal.
“Matthew’s door is always open, my door is always open – we’re not just for specific organizations,” she said. “It’s important people know there’s people and a department here to help them.”
Keri Mecham, associate director of Student Involvement, said Leituala is “a great fit for the office.”
“He has a great personality. People see him as a natural leader. I see he has great potential for influencing students,” she said.
Leituala said he’s excited about the new position.
“It’s another opportunity to work with a wider range of students,” he said. “Part of my motivation is to bring in students who could be more involved – the less-known-about students.”
Evans said she was optimistic about Leituala’s future with USU.
“He definitely has had a significant impact on the students,” she said. “He will have a successful career in higher education.”
-ella@cc.usu.edu