Bank of America 2022 Columbia Student Leaders Complete Local Internships

Two Columbia area high school seniors were selected as Bank of America 2022 Student Leaders® (#BofAStudentLeaders) and recently completed their eight-week summer internship. Their paid internship experience of workforce skills, leadership, and civic engagement with local nonprofits, including Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands and United Way of the Midlands, provided these students with first-hand experience in serving their communities.

As part of the program, they earned $17 per hour and received a Chromebook. The students had the option to voluntarily participate in in-person activities as part of the internship.

Without access to career skills-building opportunities like the Student Leaders program, many young people may be left behind from a fast-changing job market, leading to higher rates of youth unemployment. As part of its commitment to workforce development as a pathway to economic mobility, Bank of America is connecting teens and young adults to paid jobs and internships across the region through additional programs like Bank of America’s Financial Center Intern Program, Opportunity Internships across South Carolina, and others.

“Bank of America remains committed to supporting young adults by connecting them to jobs, community engagement opportunities and leadership development,” said Kim Wilkerson, president, Bank of America South Carolina. “We recognize young adults are the future of Columbia, which is why programs like Student Leaders are one way we can provide paid opportunities for students to gain job experience while developing a diverse pipeline of talent as they enter the local workforce.”

The Class of 2022 Columbia Bank of America Student Leaders are:

  • Arnold Jiang, recent graduate of River Bluff High School
  • Rajit Jain, Lexington High School

These two students were selected for their leadership, background, passion and commitment to community.

  • Arnold Jiang of Lexington, SC, is a recent graduate of River Bluff High School and will attend Princeton University in the fall. He plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science and Engineering Computer Science with a minor in engineering biology on the pre-med track. His appreciation for medicine started at a young age because it would allow him to be an active member in a large community. Arnold enjoys swimming, photography, and traveling. He has volunteered with the Maxcy Gregg swim team where he helped coach over 200 young swimmers as well as worked with Harvest Hope where he packed food boxes. Arnold worked with kids at the Boys and Girls Club.
  • Rajit Jain of Lexington, SC, is a senior at Lexington High School and plans to major in economics and computer science once he graduates. He aspires to work on projects that promote economic equality and institute change all on levels of government. Rajit is part of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council and a member of the varsity tennis team. His passion for tennis extends into his role as an assistant coach of the Lexington Special Olympics tennis team. Rajit is interested in programs like Student Leaders so he can use his voice to advocate for important issues with those in positions of power.

Started in 2004, the Student Leaders program recognizes 300 community-focused juniors and seniors from across the U.S. annually. The Columbia based Student Leaders participated in programming that includes a collaborative, mentor-focused project with both the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands and United Way of the Midlands to gain valuable firsthand insight into how nonprofits fulfill their mission, collaborate with partners, and recognize donors and volunteers.

Bank of America Student Leaders participated in a virtual Leadership Summit, delivered in partnership with the Close Up Foundation. The Summit included opportunities to engage with congressional leaders, hear from leaders in civil and human rights and participate in the Stanford University Young Democracy at Home program which encourages conversation about current issues facing young people today.

At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).


SCBIZtv is part of the SC Biz News family, serving 100,000 high-level business execs throughout South Carolina. Click for more from SCBIZtv.