What began as a transformative experience for Zachary Kovell as a high school student came full circle this summer when the Westminster College sophomore returned to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National Student Leadership Summit—this time as one of just eight college facilitators selected from across the nation.

Kovell—a mathematics major and secondary education minor from Aliquippa, Pa., and graduate of Hopewell Senior High School—served as a college facilitator during the 2026 summit, held in Indianapolis in July. More than 220 high school students from across the United States, Canada and Honduras participated in the leadership experience.

Kovell first attended the summit as a high school sophomore and said the experience left a lasting impression.

“After I attended, I knew that I wanted to attempt to come back as a college facilitator and give back to the summit that gave me so much,” Kovell said.

During the summit, students participated in sessions focused on leadership, community engagement and interpersonal skills. Topics included creating positive change in their communities, leading with compassion and remaining focused and resilient when facing difficult situations.

Participants also took part in a Special Olympics engagement event at a local high school and completed community service projects with Indianapolis Parks and Recreation.

As a college facilitator, Kovell assisted with sessions and speakers while helping lead a group of students known as the Red Team throughout the summit. He guided the group during the Special Olympics engagement event and community service projects, where students cleared paths, weeded and mulched playgrounds and painted benches and tables.

“My job was to facilitate a fun, positive environment and work to make everyone in the group feel connected,” Kovell said. “It was so uplifting for me to see how all the students were able to become friends and support one another.”

The experience reinforced an important lesson about leadership, Kovell said.

“One of the most important things that I have taken away from the summit is that every single person on a team, club or organization deserves to have a voice, deserves to be seen and deserves to be heard,” he said. “It is a leader’s job to connect and unite everyone within a group.”

He also learned that leadership requires more than simply directing others.

“Leadership is more than just telling people what to do. It is showing them what to do by the example that you give and the way you carry yourself,” Kovell said. “Everything I told [the Red Team] to do, I did right alongside them.”

Kovell said the experience strengthened his leadership skills and provided lessons he plans to carry into his involvement at Westminster.

A member and a team captain of Westminster’s track and field team, Kovell also serves as a first-year resident assistant and was an orientation leader to the new incoming class of Westminster students. He is vice president of Westminster’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is working with campus leaders to establish a Neumann Club.

“This opportunity was something that personally was too good to pass up,” Kovell said. “I knew that I would be able to further improve my leadership skills and bring what I learned back to our campus and community.”

Through the summit, Kovell said he was able to connect with students from across the nation and learn how to interact with people of different backgrounds and personalities—skills he said have direct application to his life as a student-athlete and campus leader.

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