Bank of America Recognizes Tampa Student Leaders

From the Bank of America: Five Tampa Bay area high school students are wrapping up their summer in the Bank of America Student Leaders (#BofAStudentLeaders) program. The local students, who have demonstrated extensive community engagement, are building their workforce and leadership skills through a paid summer internship at Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay and participation in a national leadership summit in Washington, D.C. This is part of Bank of America’s three-year $40 million commitment to connect youth and young adults to skills, training and jobs.

Today, more than five million young people are not working or in school, and by 2020, more than 60 percent of jobs will require more than a high school diploma as a result of rapid changes in technology and innovation. Young people without access to early employment opportunities often lack skills that put them on a path to success. Through Student Leaders, Bank of America helps young people develop workforce and leadership skills, including advancing diversity and inclusion, gaining a greater understanding of the value of cross-sector partnerships, and establishing a professional network.

“Through Student Leaders, we’re building youth pathways to success and giving voice to the next generation, who will help develop a more diverse and inclusive society,” said Bill Goede, Tampa Bay market president, Bank of America. “By engaging young people in meaningful and relevant experiences⎯such as building a resume and managing a paycheck⎯we’re advancing economic mobility in Tampa Bay as we work to create a thriving community.”

The 2017 Tampa Bay Student Leaders are:

• Allison Bloomer, Dunedin, is an incoming senior at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs. She is founder and president of the Community Club and volunteers at the Moffitt Cancer Center and as a literacy tutor for elementary school students.
• Jenna Callison, Tampa, is a Hillsborough IB High School senior. She was president of the Scholarship Club and is a mentor with the Girlstories Leadership Theatre.
• Alice Hamilton, Odessa, is a senior at Tampa Preparatory School. She is president of Students for Seniors. Club members visit residents of an assisted-living facility, provide tech support with seniors’ computers and mobile phones, and plan holiday functions.
• Robert Schofner, Tampa, is a senior at HB Plant High School. He’s an Eagle Scout, president of the BOOST Club, and has served as a counselor with Florida Suncoast Sierra Club Inner City Outings.
• Caroline Sharpless, Tampa, is a Brooks Debartolo Collegiate High School graduate who is headed to Pepperdine University.

In July, these five young people spent a week with more than 200 other Student Leaders from around the country in Washington D.C. for Bank of America’s Student Leadership Summit. As part of this week-long convening, students built advocacy and inclusive leadership skills, met with Congresswoman Kathy Castor and participated in a service learning project. More than 60 student alumni from Tampa Bay and nearly 3,000 Student Leaders across the country have gained skills and workforce experience through the program since 2004.

Student Leaders is just one way Bank of America supports summer employment opportunities for Tampa Bay teens and young adults. Bank of America has also partnered with Khan Academy to provide information and tools to help young adults just starting out in the workforce learn about careers and personal finance through Better Money Habits®, its financial wellness and education platform.

The bank’s investments in youth employment in Tampa Bay are part of its broader work this summer across the country, investing more than $3 million to connect nearly 2,000 young people, including at-risk teens, to summer jobs through partnerships with mayors across the country and its Student Leaders® program.

Image via Bank of America