Students at St. Michael’s Middle School in Tucson, Arizona recently engaged in international service through the Kiva microloan program, introduced in Mr. Hawes’ World Religions class. The Tucson middle school students were challenged to design and run their own microbusinesses, with the goal of generating profits to support entrepreneurs around the world through Kiva.

Our students explored the fundamentals of entrepreneurship through Gary Paulsen’s novel, Lawn Boy, and applied concepts from math, English, and other disciplines to develop their businesses. They created detailed plans, secured up to $10 in seed funding from Student Council (with 10% interest), and managed every stage of the process, from budgeting and market research to marketing and execution. At the project’s conclusion, students reflected on their experiences.

The results are in—and they’re impressive! All together students earned $868, repaid $117 to Student Council in loans and interest, and generated $751 in profit. The seventh-grade class will now work with Mr. Hawes to select Kiva recipients and decide how to put their earnings to work.

Even modest profits, often between $5 and $20, demonstrate the program’s core lesson: that small, thoughtful actions can create meaningful impact when combined.

While service learning itself is not new, St. Michael’s approach is distinctly innovative, intentionally weaving together academic rigor, character formation, and real-world engagement. In doing so, the school is teaching students how to succeed and how to serve, equipping them to lead lives of purpose and impact.