Bank of America chooses 2 Valley students for summer internship

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two Fresno teens are taking action to help youth in the Central Valley while gaining valuable job experience. It's all thanks to an internship with Bank of America.

Valley students Pratham and Akhil don't have your typical high school summer job.

"I've been wanting to do this internship for a very long time now because it gives a lot of professional development skills and it gives us the chance to work with children," said Bank of America Intern Pratham Hombal.

The motivated students were selected from dozens of applicants for the Bank of America summer internship.

"The email said congrats, you've been selected," said Bank of America Intern Akhil Vallabh. "I was so happy, I immediately called my mom."

The paid internship pairs two Valley students with a local non-profit for the summer. For Pratham and Akhil, that non-profit is the Boys and Girls Club.

"Both Akhil and Pratham have been part of everything we do," said Vice President of Development Kathryn Weakland. "They blow through the assignments really quickly, so we've learned we can give them a lot more."

Both teens are part of a summer project. Pratham is planning an environmental day for students while Akhil is teaching a digital literacy and programing course.

"I'm teaching kids how to type, how to navigate computers and how to code," said Vallabh. "I really hope to make a difference and that after my program, they take something away."

At the end of the summer, they'll participate in a virtual leadership conference with interns from across the country. Pratham will head to Stanford this fall, while Akhil has one more year at Clovis North High School.

"This internship allowed me to make a pretty significant social impact in the community, and that's something that's really satisfying," added Hombal.