BATON ROUGE — In another example of LSU student-athletes making a positive impression on local youth, junior distance runner Drew Haro spent time speaking with youth at St. Mary’s Baptist Church in Plaquemine on Wednesday.
Haro, a three-year letterwinner for the track and cross country teams, spoke at the Extravaganza program at the church. He discussed the importance of athletics and education. As a member of the 2005 cross country team, he finished either first or second in four of LSU’s five races. He was the Tigers’ top finisher at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships and won the Auburn Invitational.
The speaking engagement is sponsored by the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills program. The CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success)/Life Skills Program was designed by the NCAA to help student-athletes realize higher academic achievement, increase likelihood of graduation and enter a chosen profession with a higher level of vision, knowledge, motivation, self-responsibility and greater overall success. In Spring 2003, the CHAMPS/ Life Skills Program at LSU honored one of the Tigers’ most memorable graduates, Shaquille O’Neal, by naming the program after him.