Austin High School Student Tapped For Bank Of America's Student Leaders Program

AUSTIN, TX — Austin high school senior Samiksha Mulpuri recently participated in Bank of America's Student Leaders program, which connects 225 high school juniors and seniors nationwide with local nonprofits for summer internships.

Mulpuri ("Sami" to her friends), has been heavily involved in robotics and game design, helping bridge a gap of girls' involvement in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Over the summer, she advanced her goals of using her skills to inspire other girls in pursuing STEM careers.

"For me, it was about doing something really meaningful this summer," Mulpuri told Patch in a recent telephone interview. "I think this has been the most exciting opportunity and most life-changing experience I've ever had."

As part of the competitive program, the Steiner Ranch resident traveled to Washington, D.C. for an intensive, week-long summit where she met other student leaders from all over the country, she said. After that, she spent eight weeks in an internship related to her STEM focus.

Another appealing part of the program was the opportunity to travel beyond her usual environs in pursuit of knowledge, the 17-year-old senior at Vandergrift High School said: "I wanted to do more than what you normally do each summer," she explained. "I live in a very closed-off community here in Austin, and really wanted to see how I could effect change in my community."

She found the experience rewarding, and was happy to have the support of family members along the way: "Every day was so much fun, and I got to work with kids my age. My parents were really supportive, and I was grateful to do something like this."

An older sister now in medical school at University of Texas Southwestern University proved not only supportive, but emerged as something of a role model as well, Mulpuri noted.

After such a whirlwind experience, one would expect a young lady to want to return to her hometown and spent the rest of the summer days whiling the hours away with friends. Not Mulpuri. The morning after her internship ended, her father accompanied her on a flight to a village in India where she staged a three-day digital literacy workshop.

"They don't have a lot of access to resources," she said of the village children she met there. "They did have a computer lab there, and set up WiFi to use technology efficiently. It was incredible to use my skills for that program."

Who said youth was wasted on the young? Whoever did never met Sami Mulpuri.

Here are some Bank of America Student Leaders key facts:

• The Student Leaders program is one example of Bank of America’s three-year $40 million commitment to youth employment. Each year, we connect 225 community-minded high school students from across the country to summer jobs, skills development and service.
• In July, these community-minded young people joined the more than 200 other Student Leaders from around the country in Washington D.C. for a Student Leadership Summit (photo of Sami at the summit with the other Austin leaders attached!). As part of this week-long gathering, students discussed how to build a more diverse and inclusive society, gain a better understanding of how cross-sector collaboration creates community impact, and learn how they can become more engaged and impactful citizens.
• Students also participated in a service learning project, met with Members of Congress, learned about ways to tackle poverty, discussed pathways to leadership, and participated in a series of workshops to build better money habits.
• The Student Leaders program is part of our broader investment to connect young people to the education and training they need to enter the 21st century workforce. When young people are connected with opportunities to build workforce skills and learn better money habits, our community can grow sustainably and thrive.
• Since 2004, we’ve recognized nearly 3,000 young people as Student Leaders, helping them gain workforce skills, refine their leadership potential, and connect with a peer network of engaged youth leaders.

>>> Uppermost photo of Samiksha Mulpuri (far right) with other Student Leaders at Washington, D.C. summit, courtesy Bank of America