Hartford Celebrates 20 Years of Connecting Teens to Paid Internships
Four Greater Hartford students were selected as Student Leaders®️ and are participating in an eight-week paid summer internship that connects students to employment, skills development and service. These community-minded students—two rising high school seniors and two recent graduates—are gaining valuable work and leadership experience working with local nonprofit, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, all while earning competitive wages. Student Leaders also receive financial education coaching from Bank of America’s Better Money Habits curriculum.
The students traveled to Washington, D.C., July 22-27, for a week-long, all-expenses-paid, national leadership summit to learn how nonprofits, governments and businesses collaborate to meet local needs.
This is the 20th year Bank of America has offered this competitive paid intern program in Hartford, with about 100 high school students selected as Student Leaders since the program began in 2004.
“Educating and connecting young adults to job training opportunities helps create long-lasting change in our community,” said Joe Gianni, president, Bank of America Greater Hartford. “Our partner, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, has been a key part of the success of the Student Leaders program for two decades. Every year I am inspired by our Student Leaders and their commitment to addressing critical issues in our community while tackling new experiences and developing lifelong skills.”
The class of 2024 Hartford Bank of America Student Leaders are:
- Gabrielle “Gabby” Blasé is a rising senior at Avon High School. She has worked with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford for several years and is looking forward to building upon her experiences as a Student Leader.
- Ismael Valdivieso is a recent A.I Prince Technical High School graduate and will attend Southern Connecticut State University in the fall. He is committed to community service and leadership development and is passionate about dismantling the stigmas surrounding mental health. Ismael was named the Connecticut Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year in 2023.
- Moody Htoo is a rising high school senior at the Connecticut River Academy where he is a member of the Model United Nations. As a school ambassador on the Administration Advisory Board, Moody collaborates with fellow students and faculty to identify and address issues facing his school and the student body.
- Yadelis Lantigua is a recent graduate of Bulkeley High School and will attend CT State Community College in the fall. Yadelis was a senator on student council, where she generated new ideas and initiatives to better serve the student body. She also worked on creating a club focused on social justice issues in her community and around the world.
Along with Student Leaders, Bank of America is connecting teens and young adults to paid jobs and internships with the YMCA of Greater Hartford and Capital Workforce Partners through its Summer Youth Employment Program.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, the Student Leaders program recognizes 300 community-focused juniors and seniors from across the U.S. annually. Since 2004, Student Leaders has engaged more than 4,500 students and invested $42 million in more than 500 local nonprofits as a critical part of the bank’s long-standing effort to build pathways to economic mobility across nearly 100 markets.