This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Bank of America Student Leaders program, and the four Los Angeles County teens the bank chose as leaders are passionate about advocating for immigrants, studying civil law, increasing opportunities for underserved students and journalism.
Over the summer, the selected students participated in an eight-week paid summer internship. They worked with local nonprofits Archdiocesan Youth Employment Services, Koreatown Youth and Community Center and The Salvation Army Southern California Division to learn about local community needs while developing leadership and workplace skills and earning competitive wages. The students also received financial education coaching from Bank of America’s “Better Money Habits” curriculum.
The 2024 Los Angeles Bank of America Student Leaders are:
Jayla Burton of Paramount is a graduate of Gardena Senior High School. Jayla has volunteered with the Community Youth Health Advocates Program with Charles R. Drew Medicine and Sciences to learn about health disparities within her local community and served as student ambassador for College Track Crenshaw to help local youth overcome barriers to higher education. She hopes to have her own nonprofit one day to provide higher education resources for foster youth in South Los Angeles. She is attending Tuskegee University on a full scholarship and hopes to become a veterinarian.
Lucia Gomez of Los Angeles is a senior at RFK Los Angeles High School of the Arts. Inspired by her parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico before she was born, Lucia strives to be a voice for the underrepresented people of her indigenous community. She is involved in numerous leadership roles within her high school and local community, including as senior president for her high school’s student body.
Josiah Hankerson of Compton is a rising senior at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School. Growing up in Compton and Watts and raised by his community-minded great-grandmother, he was inspired to help empower young people through leadership and advocacy work, which has sparked an interest in civil rights law. He’s served as associated student body vice president, tutored other students as part of his National Honors Society officer duties, served as vice captain of the school’s cross country and track and field teams, participated in the Kino Border Initiative to learn about promoting fair immigration policies and more.
Linda Yun of Rosemead is a rising senior at South Pasadena High School. Moving to the United States from China at a young age and hearing her parent’s stories of censorship sparked her passion for journalism. Linda helped her school newspaper win a gold medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and is serving as editor-in-chief in Fall. She also founded a book review club and leads monthly book drives for unhoused people in the community, served on the Library Advisory Youth Council and is part of the TrialTracker editorial team, a short-form unbiased journalism platform for prominent court cases.
Learn more at bankofamerica.com.
