Chicago Area Students Named Bank of America Student Leaders

CHICAGO, IL — Five students from schools across the Chicago area were selected from more than 280 applicants and named to this year’s class of Bank of America Student Leaders in Chicago. According to a news release sent to Patch, the Bank of America Student Leaders program "provides students a summer of leadership experience, civic engagement, and workforce skills-building." The program is now in its 16th year, and in light of current health concerns, has been adapted into a virtual format. Through this, students in the program will have the opportunity to participate in projects that expose them to the vital role nonprofits play in advancing community health, the importance of public private partnerships to advance social change, and a focus on building financial acumen, the news release said.

According to the news release, the ability to earn a paycheck will be essential to many young people amid significant job losses nationwide, whether tasked with helping support their families or charting a path into their futures. As part of their Student Leaders experience, each student will receive a $5,000 stipend in recognition for their community achievements and contributions.

The following students have been recognized as a 2020 Bank of America Student Leader, and are listed in the news release as follows:

Tayiba Chowdhury, Rogers Park: A rising senior at Lane Tech College Prep High School, Chowdhury has volunteered at the Rohingya Cultural Center for the last two years, where she tutored immigrants impacted by the Rohingya Genocide. Last year, she also spearheaded a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation after realizing her neighborhood is more likely to have a cancer cluster because of the prevalence of immigrants with low socioeconomic status.

Chowdhury is currently enrolled in a two-year program with Chicago EYES (Educators and Youth Enjoy Science) on Cancer, a cancer research training program where she works full time in the laboratories of cancer researchers at the University of Chicago. Her rigorous research training is complemented with a cancer-based summer lecture series, year-round career development, and skill-building workshops. While working with the organization, she recognized the lack of minority involvement in the STEM field and plans to encourage minority students like herself to pursue careers in the field.

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Chowdhury is also actively involved in Lane Tech College Prep High School, serving as both a tour guide and a freshman mentor. She is also President of the Leaders Club, Vice President of the Technovation Club and Vice President of Technology for the GEM (Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science) Club. Last year, she also created a Henna club at her school, where she taught students about Henna art and her culture.

Kayla Triplett, Garfield Park: Triplett, a rising senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, has worked and volunteered with the Leaders Shaping Neighborhood Action/Logan Square Neighborhood Association, where she has spearheaded protests against neighborhood gentrification. She’s also proud to be a lead mentor and tutor with ANAs Mentoring, an organization that mentors young girls through social-emotional learning and character development workshops. Triplett has also volunteered at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center, an outpatient addiction treatment facility serving individuals and families with a long history of unemployment and substance abuse on Chicago’s west side.

Triplett is very active at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, serving as a member of the National Honors Society and a division leader for the Freshman Mentors club; a club designed to ensure that the incoming freshmen of Whitney Young have a smooth transition into high school, and a mentor for guidance and advice. Additionally, Triplett is a dancer on the Varsity Whitney Young Poms team.

Looking ahead, Triplett is excited to find the perfect college fit to embark on the next step of her educational journey.

Jackelyn Campos, Des Plaines: Campos is an Elk Grove High School graduate who throughout the last four years has volunteered with a variety of nonprofits, including Alexian Brothers Hospital, Youth Advisory Council, Estudiantes Unidos, Youth Ministry and Church Teen Group.

Additionally, alongside fellow students, Campos is currently negotiating with the local library and Board of Education to allow members of her community - a trailer park in an unincorporated area of Des Plaines - access to the public library.

This fall, Campos will attend University of Chicago on a full scholarship

Magdalena Rivera, South Loop: Walter Payton College Prep graduate Magdalena (Maggie) Throughout the last four years, Rivera has tutored at Hyde Park Refugee Project as a mentor, Catholic Charities as an English language tutor, was Editor-in-Chief for Payton’s Art & Literature Magazine and was co-captain of her high school debate team.

Passionate about debate, Rivera has spent time after school helping younger debaters through one-on-one lectures and file prep. She’s also currently working with four girls to develop and run a virtual six-week debate program for all Chicago Debate League debaters, given that many don't have access to other debate camps.

Rivera also worked on a project that examined judge bias in the Chicago Immigration Court, where she interviewed immigration lawyers in Chicago and analyzed data from the Transnational Syracuse Recordhouse.

This fall, Rivera will attend University of Chicago. Looking forward, she plans to work toward change by reforming Chicago's immigration court, mentoring children caught within the larger bureaucracy.

Matthew Williams, Schaumburg: Williams, a graduate of Schaumburg High School, was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 13 months, and his parents quickly turned to Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley for therapy five days a week. Learning to walk and talk despite doctors' expectations, he felt a personal responsibility to give back.

Williams began his volunteer work at age eight, selling cookies and engraved bricks for fundraisers. As an ambassador, he has the opportunity to spotlight the impact Easterseals make on the lives of children and youth adults with disabilities, and be a voice for many of the organization's public policy efforts. Williams has also served as a chair with the Little League Illinois District 13’s Challenger Jamboree, as well as served as a Student Advisor Trustees for the Schaumburg Township District Library.

Wiliiams has also received numerous local awards including Village of Schaumburg’s Volunteer of the Year in the youth category, Marianjoy Scholarship Program For Students with Disabilities and Schaumburg-Hoffman and Estates Rotary Club’s “Service Above Self” Scholarship

This fall, he will attend Drake University in Des Moines, where he plans to major in accounting.

These Chicago Student Leaders will participate in a "collaborative, mentoring-focused project to educate community residents on the importance of voting and engage in conversations around democracy, social justice, civil rights and how to build a more diverse and inclusive society," the news release said. In addition, they'll work closely with Student Leaders in Atlanta, and will support the East Lake Foundation, a nonprofit established to revitalize the East Lake neighborhood in Atlanta. Throughout the program, students will develop a digital plan for distribution throughout the East Lake community as well as learn critical personal finance skills through Better Money Habits®, Bank of America’s financial wellness and education platform, the organization added.

More information: Bank of American Student Leaders