Bank of America selects two Fresno teens for summer internship program

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two Valley students are gaining valuable experience thanks to a competitive internship with Bank of America.

For rising high school seniors, Andrew and Dakota, summer "break" has been spent behind a desk.

"Right now we're doing some social media, networking stuff, making ads on Tik Tok and flyers," said Bank of American Student Leader Dakota Vermilya.

The two students from Fresno were selected from among dozens of applicants for Bank of America's summer internship program.

"I decided to apply for it because I really want to work on gaining leadership skills, learning more about my community," said Vermilya.

These high schoolers aren't just spending time learning about banking, they're also paired up with a local non-profit. This year, the pair of straight-A students are working with the Boys and Girls Club.

"I learned more about the finance side, what they have to do as a non-profit to get the funds they need and how they expand," said Bank of America Student Leader Andrew Gray.

They've learned the ins and outs of non-profit work and are working to help organize a school supply drive for the Boys and Girls Club.

"Having input from their perspective shines a light from a different lens than maybe the leadership team at Boys and Girls club looks through," said Bank of America Local Market Executive Marisa Moore. "We've seen a lot of really great programs develop because of the student leaders insight."

Andrew and Dakota say the internship has already given them a new outlook on prospective career paths.

"It's going to look really good on resumes for future jobs and college applications," said Vermilya. "Also getting to learn more information that a typical senior would get to know like networking skills and leadership."