Melville, NY - July 19, 2016 - Bank of America today announced that five high school juniors and seniors from the Long Island community have been selected as Student Leaders (#BofAStudentLeaders). The program offers young people, who are engaged community citizens, an opportunity to build their workforce and leadership skills through a paid summer internship at a local nonprofit organization, like the EAC Network, and participation in a Student Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.

Early employment opportunities are a critical stepping stone for young people entering the working world. When young people can’t access early employment opportunities that build their skills, they are at risk of being left behind and not finding a meaningful job in today’s competitive workforce. With local youth unemployment rates at 18 percent, Student Leaders connects young people to summer employment that supports their long-term financial success, and in turn helps the economic progress of Long Island.

“Early employment opportunities help teens build the skills they need to establish a career and get on a path toward financial stability,” said Bob Isaksen, Long Island President, Bank of America. “Helping youth access resources and skills that prepare them for future success is an important part of our work to address the underlying issues related to economic mobility as we work to create a thriving Long Island economy.”

The five Long Island Student Leaders are:

• Diego Colonna a Bay Shore resident and rising senior at Bay Shore High School is interning at Family Service League.  
• Elizabeth Fernandez, a Roosevelt resident and rising senior at Roosevelt High School is interning at EAC Network. 
• Nikhil Anand, a Half Hollow Hills resident and recent graduate of Half Hollows Hills High School is interning at United Way of Long Island.
• Nyeem Maloney, a Freeport resident and rising senior at Freeport High School is interning at EAC Network.
• Tolulope Adebayo, a Baldwin resident and recent graduate of Baldwin Senior High School, is interning at EAC Network. 

These five young people will join the more than 200 other Student Leaders from around the country in Washington D.C. on July 10-15 for a Student Leadership Summit. As part of this week-long convening, students will discuss how to build a more diverse and inclusive society, gain a better understanding of how cross-sector collaboration creates community impact, and become part of a network of community leaders that will support their citizenship and engagement. The students are joining an alumni cohort of more than 2,200 Student Leaders across the country.

Bank of America
At Bank of America, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical to fulfilling our core purpose of making people’s financial lives better. A commitment to growing our business responsibly is embedded in every aspect of our company, from our policies and practices to our services, products, governance and employee benefits. An important part of that commitment is forming strong partnerships across sectors, including nonprofit organizations serving community needs, bringing our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. We’re proud of our employees’ volunteer efforts, support of diversity and inclusion, and environmental and social responsibility. Across our company, we’re focused on simplifying banking and investing, advancing better money habits and making an impact in communities around the world. Learn more here and on Twitter.