Wealth. Talent. Popularity. Intelligence. Enviable qualities in a Darwinian world. Completely unnecessary to the world of service, however - the world where Presbyterian College senior Lucy Strong chooses to spend an ample amount of her time.

An intern in the colleges Student Volunteer Services program, Strong brought her service ethic with her when she first enrolled at PC.

"(Service) comes with what I do," she said. "Even in high school, service was a big part of my life. Its where I fit in."

Strong admits that PCs commitment to student service may not have been the single most compelling reason for making her college choice. There are, after all, numerous factors that draw the attention of a young person searching for a place to further his or her education - and plenty of reasons why PC is that choice. Nonetheless, it is service to others that continues to play an important role during Strongs college career.

It has from day one.

"Being involved in service from the beginning - with Freshman Service Day - catapulted me into more and more opportunities to serve," she said.

Strong has actively pursued those opportunities. In particular, she has served as a coordinator for the Special Olympics hosted on campus each spring and served in the Laurens Child Outreach Program at E.B. Morse Elementary School in Laurens County School District 55.

And, perhaps more importantly, as a senior SVS intern, is leading others to serve.

In her own understated way, Strong welcomes new volunteers into a circle that begs to be broadened. She speaks of how SVS welcomed her. She uses the word "fit" to describe the relationship between programs that mold character and characters who mold programs. She notes - if not exactly - that the strong are less concerned with their own survival than in the survival and well-being of the weak.

"This in one of the only programs at PC where there are no requirements to get in or participate," she said. " There is a definite sense of community at PC but, at the same time, we do divide ourselves into different groups. Service has always been what Ive been good at and its a good fit for me. But, truthfully, everyone fits there because there are no pre-existing notions about service. Everyone can serve, so here is where youll find the most diversity of any one organization on campus."

While it is human to weigh the sacrifice of time and effort against the rigors of academic workloads and extra-curricular activities, there are equally human benefits. Meeting people, for instance.

"On a college campus, you tend to hang out with your own circle of friends in your dorms and people you go to class with," Strong said. "But service opportunities lead to meeting people you wouldn't otherwise get to know." Or people off campus you might never even have seen.

"I think about families in the community I've met through SVS," she said. " People like (PC graduate) Rev. Herb Codington at Bethany Presbyterian Church. I never would've met him if not for SVS."

But there is a far deeper reasoning behind PC's commitment to service as one of its guiding principles - chiefly, the daily struggles of those whom fortune does not always favor. It is important, said Strong, for even busy college students - and the college itself - to remember them.

"Through the years, sometimes service gets lost in the shuffle," she said.

Again, Strong notes, servants of all types, personalities, backgrounds, and commitments are welcome.

"There is never a limitation because there is never a stop for the need," she said.

As they have throughout SVS 36 years in existence, community needs ebb and flow and shift and change - as do the volunteers.

"Were always open to new programs and new ideas," said Strong. "Were always looking to offer more opportunities and tailor them to students. We also want to offer a place where students can discover the needs that are out there."

New medical service programs, for example, have put new student volunteers to work benefiting childrens hospitals, the Project Life blood marrow drive, and the Good Shepherd Free Medical Clinic in Laurens County - even as it continues to provide volunteers for traditional programs at Thornwell School and Home for Children and the Special Olympics.

Once a commitment to service - however large or small - is made, said Strong, a need or a program can always be found.

"Most students want to be able to help," she said. "Theyre up for pretty much anything you can throw at them. We try to promote the team aspect. Whatever your gifts are, we can find some way for you to help others."

At a place where Christian values also serve as a core value to guide its path, Presbyterian College simply should give some of its resources to helping the community that surrounds it, said Strong.

"We are a Christian school, so service has to be at the top of your list of priorities," she said. "It comes with the understanding that, if you are serving, you are being served. You cant be a Christian and ignore that. At the same time, service is not something that has to be done here - its something we choose to do."

After all, she added, if youre going to make Clinton your home for a college career, why not make it really like home?

"I think students should take ownership of the community you live in for four years," she said.

With that in mind, the history major from Memphis, Tenn., is happy she made PC - and particularly service - part of her journey through life.

"Its definitely shaped what Im going to do in my life and pointed me in the right direction," she said.

For now, that "direction" leaves many paths open before her. The Peace Corps. Americorps. Other non-profit organizations. Teaching. Perhaps studies at a seminary.

"Im looking for something service-oriented," Strong said. "But I want the flexibility to do Habitat for Humanity one weekend and get down on the floor and work with 10-year-olds the next."

Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the chaplain office about SVS 1-864-833-8475.