Two Williamson students chosen for 8-week Bank of America student leadership program

Two upcoming Franklin and Ravenwood High School seniors were recently chosen for an eight-week Bank of America student leaders program.

The paid summer internship offers students from all over Tennessee with employment, skills development and service opportunities. They also spend their time working with the Special Olympics Tennessee, organizers said.

“For the past 20 years, we have supported and provided career and leadership development opportunities for Nashville teens, and we continue our work to help develop the next generation of the skilled workforce essential to Middle Tennessee’s long-term economic growth,” said President of Bank of America Nashville Tyson Moore.

More than 80 students have participated in the program since its inception.

Like the interns that came before them, Ravenwood senior Siona Bhattacharya and Franklin senior Rinaz Jamal were chosen as part of a competitive process, bank officials said.

Bhattacharya founded a non-profit to assist underrepresented students needing school supplies and spearheaded a food drive that raised more than 25,000 pounds of food as president of Interact Club. She was selected as a student board member for AWAKE Nashville, where she organized a mental health awareness event. She was chosen as a House Representative out of more than 500 students in the Volunteer Girls State Program and a National Qualifier in Speech and Debate.

Jamal earned perfect GPA, ACT and PSAT scores. In 2021, she founded a nonprofit to promote access to quality education in underserved communities, impacting hundreds of students worldwide. She is also an accomplished speaker and serves as president of the Speech and Debate team and Model UN and has won awards for her oratory skills.

“The exceptional teens selected for this year’s Student Leaders program will not only gain practical work and life experience, but they will also give back to their community,” Moore said, noting the students' work with the Special Olympics.

Later this summer, the students plan to travel to Washington, D.C. for a week-long national leadership summit to learn how nonprofits, governments and businesses collaborate to meet local needs.

Along with Student Leaders, Bank of America is connecting 10 teens and young adults to paid jobs and internships with the restaurant and culinary training program, Café Momentum, through its Summer Youth Employment Program.