Bank of America Recognizes Austin Students For Their Leadership

Austin TX

22 July, 2021

10:27 AM

Description

AUSTIN, TX—Bank of America has recognized four local Austin area high school juniors for the prestigious Bank of America Student Leaders program, who were selected for their service, leadership, and involvement in their respective communities. The students selected include Avinash Verma, Cesar Romero, Esther Ishimwe and Hudson Huff, and the program will help prepare the students to enter the workforce through skills-building and leadership development. Avinash Verma: A rising senior at McNeil High School, Avinash has forged her leadership skills as a representative for the youth community in his residential district on the Austin Youth Council, a city-led initiative working in conjunction with the Austin City Council. Inspired by his father and his work in public health, Avinash grasps the importance of serving as a voice for his community, where they may otherwise not have one. Of particular significance to Avinash's advocacy has been for the Austin City Council "Project Connect", which will drastically increase access to public transportation across Austin. Cesar Romero: A recent graduate of Westwood High School, Cesar endeavors have led him to stand out through active participation in volunteer opportunities, including ESL tutoring for his peers and community. Cesar works to promote equal opportunity in his community, drawing from his personal experience as an immigrant and first-generation English speaker. Through his example, Cesar hopes those around him are inspired by his efforts and will seek to challenge themselves intellectually in order to reach their full potential. Esther Ishimwe: Esther graduated from Travis High School and will pursue a career in nursing following college. Having moved to Austin at 15, Esther participated in GirlForward, a program dedicated to supporting girls who have been displaced by creating and enhancing opportunities. As a participant of the program, Esther worked to expand its reach to girls served by the support community. Esther and her volunteer efforts have focused on mental stability, which through personal experience has led her to understand that working on ones own mental allow us for others when they need us. Hudson Huff: Hudson is a rising senior at Westlake High School, and throughout his time at Westlake, Hudson worked to improve diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as a founding member of the Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Committee for Eanes School District. Through his own experience and his mixed-race background, Hudson seeks to promote improved opportunities for all and considers it important for role models with similar backgrounds to hold leadership positions at the school level, and he uses his voice on the committee to advocate for the hiring of minority teachers and faculty within his district . Since 2004, the Bank of America Student Leaders program has recognized community-focused juniors and seniors annually. These students participate in an eight-week, paid internship working with local nonprofits including Communities in School, where the Austin Student leaders will work and further develop leadership skills, and participate in a week-long virtual leadership summit. To learn more about the Bank of America Student Leaders program visit the website HERE.