Bridgeport's Ebony Jarrett Interns In Student Leaders Program

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Ebony Jarrett, a Bridgeport resident and recent graduate of Central Magnet High School, is one of eight Southern Connecticut teenagers awarded an eight-week paid summer internship through The Bank of America Charitable Foundation's Student Leaders Program.

Jarrett is interning at Cardinal Shehan Center in Bridgeport.

Jarrett recently joined more than 200 other student leaders from around the country for a weeklong leadership summit in Washington, D.C., where they participated in skill-building workshops, a service learning project, sessions to develop better money habits and meetings with members of Congress.

Although the overall economy continues to show signs of improvement, youth unemployment remains at a record high. The youth unemployment rate in Connecticut stands at 17.1 percent, compared with an overall unemployment rate of 8.4 percent. Bank of America is trying to connect young people to the education and training they need to succeed in the 21 century workforce.

“In a crowded employment space, young people face a number of challenges in finding job opportunities,” said Bill Tommins, the Stamford-based southern Connecticut market president, Bank of America. “These internships give local teens the chance to launch their careers and gain the workforce skills that they’ll need for the future.”

Since 2007, the program has connected a total of 45 teens from southern Connecticut with summer employment and has supported 2,200 young people nationwide.

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