Student Story

The Service Scholars program helps to improve my communication and data management skills and it gives me more confidence to talk with and recruit people.”

Miles Lester is a biology major at Catawba. He is a member of the Dead Athenian Society and most recently a member of the Service Scholars program.

The Service Scholars Program empowers student leaders to learn more about service by leading events that help to further develop their leadership abilities. The program’s mission is to inspire and enlighten students by emphasizing service and leadership as fundamental elements in the journey towards responsible citizenship that is driven by a zeal to enrich our world and those who inhabit it.  

Miles is a Student Leader in the program. His responsibilities include recruiting students, promoting the program, and managing data. He said the goal of the program is “to recruit people to serve, and lead and execute the tasks needed to serve others. Recruiting is harder than one may think, even at a small college like Catawba. Leading and executing is a whole other ballgame, that must be won.”

He added, “The Service Scholars program helps to improve my communication and data management skills and it gives me more confidence to talk with and recruit people. The program will also help increase numbers of the Dead Athenian Society’s community service events which is a men’s group on campus I belong to.”

When asked what the program has planned for the near future, Miles said, “getting new faces out to service projects, hopefully recruiting more service scholars, and increasing and diversifying the number of service opportunities.”

In addition to his work as a service scholar, Miles has served with Rowan Helping Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Meals on Wheels, Rotary Club, Pedal Factory, and PowerCross of Salisbury.