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This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2018. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.


Danielle Gariglio - Concordia-Chicago Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
by Lindy Brown, Duke University Senior Associate Sports Information Director

Danielle Gariglio is in her first year as an Athletic Communication graduate assistant at Concordia-Chicago. Prior to CUC, Gariglio began as a sports information assistant and then interim assistant SID at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. With the Dutchmen, she was the primary contact for 13 of Union's 26 varsity teams, including Division I women's ice hockey.

Gariglio received a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island in 2017. While at Rhode Island, Gariglio was a four-year starting centerfielder for the University's softball team, serving as team captain in her last two seasons.
Gariglio got her start in sports information when she interned with the URI Sports Information office in 2015. When the internship concluded, she continued to volunteer her time working closely with several of the University's athletic programs. During the fall of her senior year, she served as the primary contact for men's and women's cross country, marking the first time an undergraduate student served as the point person for a sport at URI.

While at CUC, Gariglio is pursuing a masters degree in sports leadership.


How did you get your start in athletic communications?
When I was a junior in college, I was looking for an internship during my fall semester. A few of my teammates had interned in our athletic communications office in years past. The SIDs were obviously very accommodating to our schedules, so I decided I'd give it a try. I started helping out preparing for football games during the week, worked the camera at soccer games and helped write a few student-athlete feature stories for our website, gorhody.com. Once my semester-long internship ended, I stuck around and volunteered for the next three semesters until I graduated. During that time, the SIDs gradually gave me more responsibilities and in the fall of my senior year they let me become the men and women's cross country contact. As graduation drew near and my time as a student-athlete was expiring, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next but knew I was going to have a hard time letting go of athletics. My passion for college athletics continued to grow throughout college and with my experience in the athletic communications office at URI, I figured I would try to get into the field professionally after graduation. Fortunately, I was able to get a job at Union College in upstate New York last year and really began my journey there.

Who have been some of your early influences in the profession?
Two influences in the early stages of my career have been Shane Donaldson and Dave Vatz. Shane Donaldson is the head SID at Rhode Island and worked with my softball team in college. He was also my instructor during my freshman orientation class and quickly became a friendly face. As I got more involved in the department, he became more than just a friendly face, more like a father figure to me, and was the best boss I've ever had. His passion for doing right by the student-athletes is unmatched and he's someone who continues to be there for me, especially in this field, whenever I need guidance. Dave Vatz, now the head SID at Towson University, was at UAlbany last year. While I was at Union and he was at Albany, he was always willing to help out whenever we needed a spotter for a volleyball tournament or I needed help learning the ins and outs of lacrosse Stat Crew. One Saturday we were in desperate help for a volleyball caller and he came and worked two matches for us before heading back to his own campus to work a football game. His willingness to help others in the field and be there for others is something I've always really admired about him.

What have you enjoyed the most about athletic communications?
My favorite part about working in athletic communications is the student-athletes. If not for them, we wouldn't be here after all. I find this work to be incredibly rewarding and its so much fun to do work that you know the student-athletes appreciate. It's also not a bad gig to be watching games for a living.

Another thing I've really enjoyed about athletic communications is to see the evolution of the field, even in just the last six years. The way digital media has evolved has been pretty incredible. With that being said, one of the most difficult things I found about the business was keeping up with and learning the Adobe software. Youtube has become my best friend over the last year, though! Everything is digital these days and in order to be successful in this field you have to be able to keep up with and create the most creative and coolest graphics, videos and social media posts. Since taking the time to really strengthen that particular skill set, it has become a lot more fun to try and create new graphics or find ways to enhance our online presence.

With you being a graduate assistant, how do you manage both your studies and normal day-to-day duties in athletic communications?
Being a graduate assistant has been a great experience so far. Being a student-athlete helped prepare me for this, because it's not a new feeling to have to be conscious of time management and getting things done on strict timelines. I just do my best to plan out the week every Monday and make sure I'm taking time out every night to get school work done. Or on the rare occasion that things are slow in the office, I'll really just try to take advantage of that time and get any assignments done that I can.

Being in the business for only a few years, what has been your most rewarding part so far?
With this being my second year fully immersed into the field, I'd say that the most rewarding experience so far for me was working an NCAA Division I men's lacrosse regional game this past spring. UAlbany was ranked in No. 2 in the country at the time and hosted Richmond University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. I was the statistician for the game and it was a 4,800-seat crowd. My friend Dave Vatz (mentioned before) was the SID there at the time, and it was such a rewarding experience because I had really just learned men's lacrosse and how to properly stat the sport earlier that spring. So for him to ask me to help him out and to have it all come full circle on one of the biggest stages in our field, it was just a really cool and proud moment for me.

What advice would you have for someone that is looking to get into the athletic communication field?
I would say that passion and having an open mind are most important. I definitely was not the most knowledgeable or talented person when I was applying for my first job at Union in the summer of 2017, but I was so passionate and eager to learn more that I was given a chance to grow there. The hours are long and not every day is easy in this field, but if you're passionate about this work and care about the student-athletes and programs you're working for, it's that much easier to get through the harder days because of how awesome the majority of the days are.

What are your outside interest/hobbies, and how do you find time for them?
Since moving to Chicago, my biggest interests have become exploring the city. We definitely work a lot of hours, so I try to take advantage of every Sunday that I have off to get out and do something cool in the city. My goal is to see every professional team in Chicago play at least once before my time at CUC comes to an end. So far I've seen the Chicago Bandits (pro softball) and the Chicago Cubs, so I've got a way to go!

Do you have a professional development tip that you could provide that has helped you along the way?
My professional development tips, that have helped me so far, are just being willing to go on YouTube to learn. I've been willing to learn more about the things I've struggled with, especially gaining knowledge on Photoshop and InDesign. Another tip that I've learned along the way is to not be afraid to ask questions. Everyone in this field is so willing to help one another and there's no shame in asking for help or asking someone to take a second to show you how to do something. Getting past that has made a huge difference for me in my growth in this field.