OUR STORY

Mission

Originally founded in 2019 as a scholarship and incorporated in 2023, Servant Leader Scholars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Georgia dedicated to cultivating servant leadership and empowering high school and college students of color.​

We believe all students have the ability to be leaders and change-makers within their classrooms, communities, and future careers.

Throughout all of our programming, we engage scholars and volunteers in three pillars: service and leadership, career development, and personal development. Learn more about our programming here.

History

And the rest was history...

June 2019

Founding of the organization

The organization originated as a scholarship program in 2019 created by Kevin Nwogu, a recent graduate of Stephenson High School at the time, to help address the disproportionate funding and opportunities for students at his alma mater.

Stephenson High School is one of the 138 schools in the DeKalb County School District serving predominantly underrepresented students. With a total minority enrollment of 99%, 63% of students were considered “economically disadvantaged” based on the number of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches.

May 2020

First Cohort of Students

Brianna Ambler and Khaden Brown joined as the first scholars of the program, attending Georgia Institute of Technology and Florida A&M University. Both students exemplified great levels of service, involvement, and academic achievement in their communities during high school from building applications to help others find scholarships to mentoring other students in their classroom.
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The scholarship, named the Servant Leader Scholarship, was designed not only to help provide financial aid for graduating students in their journey towards higher education, but to also inspire an attitude of service and pouring back into communities.

August 2020

Initial Servant Leader Scholars Program

In order to enrich the experience of scholarship recipients and further the impact of the scholarship, recipients partook in the Servant Leader Scholars Program. 

The program aimed to provide students with a network to establish relationships with professional mentors in similar fields, programming and group community service opportunities, and personal development.

The first SLS Day of Service was held, allowing the scholars to learn more about issues within their community and have the opportunity to volunteer with the Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) within Georgia.

February 2021

Grants and Recognition

The organization received a grant from the University of Georgia’s Giving Voice to the Voiceless, a program awarding grants to UGA students for projects amplifying marginalized voices, has named its 2021 recipients. 

The work and impact of the organization was noted in multiple articles at the University of Georgia, Nwogu’s alma mater, where significant donors and support stemmed from.

Step 5

June 2021

Our First Retreat

After welcoming the second cohort of students in 2021, the first SLS Day Retreat was held, giving scholars a chance to connect in person as well as network with industry professionals.

August 2023

Incorporation and evolution of the organization

Servant Leader Scholars was officially incorporated in 2023 and reorganized to serve students across Georgia, no longer limited to just Stephenson High School.

An emphasis on servant leadership continues to be embedded in the programming of the initiatives as well as a focus on guiding students to paths within their careers.