April 6th Is National Student Athlete Day

In 1987, National Student-Athlete Day was founded by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS), officially renamed the Institute for Sport & Social Justice (ISSJ). On April 6th, we recognize student athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics, while making significant contributions to their schools and communities. This annual celebration showcases the positive impact of sports values, student-athletes as a whole, and the effects they have on our society.
In honor of this day, we're highlighting just a few of our more recent stories about our diverse student athletes at Laurel Springs--you're sure to be inspired by their accomplishments!

Emmanuella Tchakmakjian, Synchronized Swimmer

Emmanuella Tchakmakjian of Lafayette, California is an accomplished member of the USA Synchronized Swimming Senior National Team. “If you want to be a successful synchronized swimmer, you need a ridiculous amount of mental strength,” says Emmanuella. “Not just the mental strength of pushing your limits, but also the mental strength of being adaptable in every single situation."

Jill Knutson, Skydiver

Skydiving and school are not the only areas where Jill applies her exceptional abilities. She also does Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, and snowboarding. When she’s not participating in sports, Jill likes to paint and draw.
Michaela Sewall, Ice Dancer
When Michaela isn't skating or doing schoolwork, she's supporting her community through her own nonprofit, Cakes 4 Kids, providing birthday cakes for children living at the ACT Abuse Counseling and Treatment Center. “Don’t ever believe that you aren’t making an impact, even if you aren’t doing something on a global level," says Michaela. "Even the smallest things make a difference.”
Robert Alessio, Arun Chhetri, Skylar Graves, and David Shamah, Gymnasts
These Laurel Springs students all earned the 2020 USA Gymnastics Academic All-American Recognition award. In order to qualify, winners must be a current USA Gymnastics student athlete in grades 9-12 with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.