Bank of America selects Westlake High teen for Student Leaders award

Bank of America recently announced that a Westlake High School senior has been selected as an official B of A student leader. The distinction allows him to participate in an eight-week paid summer internship.

James Miller will be offered a role at local nonprofit Habitat for Humanity of Ventura County, where he will learn about community needs, develop leadership and professional skills, and earn a competitive salary. He will also receive financial education coaching from Bank of America’s Better Money Habits program.

Given the changing economic climate and the fact that Ventura County’s GDP is expected to be higher in 2024 and 2025 than in 2023, young people need access to work experience and opportunities to develop professional skills, representatives of the awarding organizations said.

The private sector can play a role in better preparing young adults to succeed in today’s job market. In addition to the Student Leaders program, Bank of America is connecting local high school students with on-the-job and real-world training through a paid internship program with UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management. This year, the company is connecting more than 3,400 teens and young adults nationwide with a variety of jobs and internships.

James balances a challenging AP curriculum with extracurricular activities that serve the school and community, driven by his passion for social justice.

He is a member of a nationally awarded speech and debate team and is the founder and president of the Westlake High School Speech and Debate Club. To continue his work to ensure educational equity for the community, James founded the Ventura County Education Network, partnering with the Oxnard School District to provide free educational resources and mentoring to K-12 students in underserved communities throughout Ventura County.

Later this summer, James will travel to Washington, D.C. for a week-long national leadership summit focused on the power of cross-sector collaboration and community advocacy. Student leaders from across the country will discuss the importance of civic engagement and meet with members of Congress.

The Student Leaders program annually recognizes 300 or more community-engaged third- and fourth-grade students from across the U.S. Since the program began in 2019, 10 local teens have participated in Ventura-Santa Barbara.