The 2025 Region 8 Student Leadership Summit, hosted at Enka High School at Lake Hills Church, was an incredible success — a powerful day by the students, for the students, emphasizing the importance of student voice and leadership at the local level. Over 100 student-athletes from across Region 8 gathered for a day focused on growth, collaboration, and building something bigger than themselves.
This year’s Summit theme, “Starting a Student Leadership Team,” was woven through every part of the day — empowering attendees with practical strategies and the inspiration to start or strengthen Student-Athlete Advisory Councils (SAACs) within their own schools. The Enka SAAC Team, alongside members of the NCHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) — Briana, Aylin, Kyle, Roby and Marco — led engaging breakout sessions that helped students explore the core values, structure, and impact of student-led leadership teams.
A highlight of the day was the College Student-Athlete Panel, featuring athletes from UNC Asheville and Appalachian State University:
- Greg shared the importance of planning and purpose: “Wake up with a plan. That gives you a chance – but it doesn’t guarantee you success.”
- Elle emphasized community impact: “Doing work in the community is important – and being a student-athlete gives you that opportunity.”
- Samantha reflected on the student-athlete experience: “Being a student is hard, but being a student-athlete is rewarding.”
The day concluded with a powerful keynote by BJ Laughter, who challenged attendees to lead with integrity and resilience. His four pillars of leadership left a lasting impression:
- Don’t be insane – Change your habits to change your outcomes.
- Tenacity 24/7, 365 – Bring consistent effort every day.
- Resolve at a high level – Stay focused and committed no matter what.
- Servant Leadership – Add value, learn names, express gratitude, and give without expectation.
BJ reminded every student in the room that leadership requires a backbone!
Special thanks to Coach Carver, Coach Cook, and Mr. David Ball of Enka High School and Buncombe County for their leadership and hospitality, and to all the Athletic Directors who made it possible for their students to attend. Thank you Lake Hills Church for letting us use the facility during the day! Your investment in student leadership makes a real difference.
Be sure to check out the photo album from the day here: Region 8 Student Leadership Summit Album
If your school is interested in hosting a Student Leadership Summit, we’d love to connect. Please reach out to Evan Sauer at evan@nchsaa.org.
