Antonio Tsialas Leadership Foundation Inc

The Antonio Tsialas Leadership Foundation (ATLF) was born out of tragedy but has grown over the past five years to educate high school students in Miami about the dangers of hazing and to inspire them to become compassionate leaders.

Antonio Tsialas graduated from Ransom Everglades High School in 2019.  A strong student, community volunteer, and star goalie on the soccer team, Antonio headed to Cornell University. That fall, he was making friends, playing club soccer, and working as a campus tour guide. Then, he was invited to a dirty rush event at Phi Kappa Psi.  His mother, Flavia Tomasello, was at Cornell for Parents’ Weekend. The two had dinner together and made plans to meet for a campus tour the next morning. Antonio never arrived. He was found at the bottom of a gorge two days later, the victim of a tragic and senseless hazing incident. 

While Flavia and John Tsialas had discussed hazing with Antonio, it was never on their radar when it came to him. After Antonio's passing, they wanted to do everything they could to help other students and families avoid the same tragedy.  Yet, they soon realized that warning against something wasn’t enough.  They began not only teaching high school students about hazing prevention but also educating them about leadership skills. 

Today, ATLF:

• Trains student leaders through a yearlong ATLF Ambassador Program. The program raises hazing awareness and develops compassionate leadership skills. Ambassadors are empowered to spread the foundation’s message to their peers and communities.
• Fourteen local high school students who shared and demonstrated Antonio’s passion for leadership and community service earned the ATLF Compassionate Leadership Scholarships.
• Antonio Tsialas Hazing Prevention Week was established with Cornell University and is held annually to provide hazing prevention training for fraternity and sorority leaders. 
• Initiated at Ransom Everglades School, the Antonio Tsialas ’19 Leadership Endowment Fund sponsors year-round education on compassionate leadership to Sophomore students, student leaders and hazing prevention for senior students. 
• ATLF has trained students in compassionate leadership at 20 local schools and organizations including: Ransom Everglades, Miami Country Day School, Carrollton School, Cushman School, Palmer Trinity School, BridgePrep Academy of Village Green, GW Carver Middle and Elementary Schools, Westminster Christian School South Miami Middle School, Pinecrest Youth Advisory Council, Bank of America, University of Miami, Cornell University, and the Greek Orthodox Youth Organization.
• ATLF has formed powerful partnerships established in the realm of hazing prevention with national leaders including the Gordie Center at the University of Virginia, StopHazing at University of Maine, and the law office of Stewart, Tilghman, Fox, Biachi & Cain.
• Along with our partners, ATLF hosts Zoom Roundtable talks during Hazing Prevention Week for students, parents, and educators to discuss the legal aspects of hazing, hazing prevention, and alcohol abuse.
• ATLF created the CLEARING Model to help students define the pillars of compassionate leadership and place them in action.
• In partnership with the Gordie Center, ATLF produced an informative video to help students identify groups and organizations that will contribute to a positive campus life and allow for meaningful connections.
• ATLF supported college ambassador Maria Olloqui with the production of her documentary, Pressures of the Greek Life System: The Tragedy of Antonio Tsialas.
• ATLF actively lobbied in Washington D.C., in support of the Stop Campus Hazing Act that passed unanimously in the House of Representatives and Senate. 

 By nurturing student leaders who are compassionate, courageous, and informed, ATLF is working to change the toxic and dangerous status quo too common on college campuses today.