Westwood student selected to participate in Bank of America internship program

Monica Nagalla, a rising senior at Westwood High School, is one of five Massachusetts students selected to participate in Bank of America’s 2014 Student Leaders program. The initiative awards a total of 225 community-minded high school juniors and seniors from around the country with paid eight-week summer internships at local nonprofit organizations. Monica is interning at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston this summer.

The Student Leaders program was launched in 2004 when the average rate of youth unemployment (age 16-19) was just under 17 percent. A decade later, the situation has only gotten worse—youth unemployment currently sits at 21 percent. In Massachusetts, communities are slowly recovering from the 2008 economic crisis with a 5.5 percent unemployment rate of as of June. However, just one in three teens have jobs in Boston. These circumstances make opportunities like Students Leaders more critical than ever, enabling students to gain the valuable skills and on-the-job experience they need to secure rewarding employment in the future.

“Meaningful work experience for teens is still scare, even as the economy continues to recover,” said Bob Gallery, Massachusetts president, Bank of America. “This program connects exceptional young men and women with established nonprofits, giving them hands-on job experience while helping to improve our communities. It’s a win-win for all involved.”

In addition to the paid internships, the students recently attended a week-long Bank of America Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Summit activities included a service learning project and a series of interactive workshops, including Capitol Hill briefings and sessions on financial education and leadership development skills. The students gained a deeper understanding of how service creates positive change and how corporate, nonprofit and government collaboration can revitalize communities.