A Lauderdale County high school student spent part of his summer immersed in learning about leadership and government.

Matthew Kiefer, a student at Northeast Lauderdale High School, spent a month this summer at the Trent Lott Leadership Institute.

The institute, at the University of Mississippi, is designed to help students better understand how government operates.

Kiefer spoke Wednesday to the Meridian Rotary Club.

"It's helped me become,not only a better person, but to learn that it's not about me," said Kiefer. "It's about others, like the Rotary Club's motto, and I believe this is something I want to do future in life. "

Twenty students from across the state take part in the Lott Leadership Institute every year.