A BroncoLife Story: MaLeigha Menegatti
“BroncoLife has helped me branch out within the Boise community and create an identity outside of athletics, especially as a young professional,” said MaLeigha Menegatti, a senior on the Boise State track and field team.
As a freshman in 2018-19, Menegatti enrolled in Academic 101, a course taught by assistant athletic director for student-athlete development and director of BroncoLife Sara Whiles, as a way to meet other freshmen student-athletes and acclimate to college. During the course, Menegatti was introduced to BroncoLife and the opportunities the program offered student-athletes.
In January 2020, Menegatti attended BroncoLife’s signature event, Connect 2020. The annual event held at Albertsons Headquarters welcomed over 100 professionals in the community, providing Boise State student-athletes the opportunity to connect with specialists in their respective fields of study.
However, for Menegatti, a finance and accounting major, a five-minute conversation with a former Bronco and president of a construction management company proved instrumental in igniting her professional career.
“Toward the end of Connect 2020, I ran into the president of ESI Construction Neil Nelson,” said Menegatti. “We had a quick, friendly conversation about what he does, and I also inquired about internship opportunities. He gave me his card and told me to shoot him an email.”
After exchanging a few emails with Nelson and an internship coordinator at ESI, the Pueblo West, Colo., native was invited in for a “meet and greet” interview, and shortly thereafter, she received an offer to join their team during summer 2020.
Menegatti spent the summer as a project intern, collecting compliance documents from subcontractors and assisting project managers on various jobs.
However, one summer was not enough. Following her initial three-month stint with ESI, Menegatti was invited to stay on as an intern through fall 2021, taking the spring off to focus on her athletic endeavors on the track.
In addition to BroncoLife, Menegatti is also a member of Boise State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), representing the track and field team while serving as a voice of Bronco student-athletes to administration and the Mountain West.
The 2021-22 academic year marks Menegatti’s second year as a member of the Broncos’ SAAC, and in fall 2021, Whiles asked Menegatti to represent Boise State as a member of the Mountain West’s SAAC, an opportunity she immediately accepted.
As a Bronco representative at the conference level, Menegatti works alongside student-athletes at each MW school, discussing student-athlete welfare issues, reviewing conference and NCAA legislation and providing feedback to various leagues and institutions while promoting a positive student-athlete image.
Following her graduation from Boise State, May 7, Menegatti will be elevated to a full-time role with ESI for the summer, as she plans to return to Boise State in the fall to pursue a graduate certificate in workplace performance improvement while representing the Blue and Orange on the track for another year.
The sooner student-athletes start thinking about life after athletics and get involved in organizations such as Bronco Life and SAAC, the easier the transition will be. Try new things, you never know what might open a new avenue in your career path. I didn’t think I would be working for a construction company, that never crossed my mind, but it has worked out and I love it.