Virginia high school seniors on March 21 shadowed bankers at Chesapeake Bank as part of Bank Day, a statewide effort sponsored by the Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) Education Foundation and the VBA Emerging Bank Leaders.
The purpose of the day is to expose students to the banking industry and provide an opportunity for the students to learn about banking, financial services and the vital role Chesapeake Bank plays in the community.
The third Tuesday in March was declared Bank Day by the Virginia General Assembly in 1991 and Chesapeake Bank is proud to host students for this important program, reported assistant vice president and regional manager Cathy Snowden.
From their experience, participating students will write an essay for the chance to win a scholarship. Six regional scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded and from those six winners an overall statewide winner will be chosen. The statewide winner will receive an additional $5,000 scholarship and receive $7,500 in total. There also will be six honorable mention scholarships of $1,000 each. In all, twelve students will receive scholarships totaling $26,000.
During their visit, the students learned about internet security, the importance of community outreach, appropriate etiquette during a job interview, the different facets of Chesapeake Financial Shares, how to build/earn credit and about consumer and personal loan processes, said Snowden.
“Bank Day is one of the best short-term, hands-on experiences that a classroom teacher can offer their students—the opportunity to go inside the bank vault, to watch customer/bank officer interaction, to learn about the many services that banks offer and to start the networking that often leads to part-time and summer jobs, scholarships and a start on a career path in the financial world,” said Bruce Whitehurst, president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Bankers Association.
“We hosted a great group of students from Lancaster High School. We wanted to offer information they can take with them as they begin to make adult decisions and manage their financial futures,” said Snowden.
“We also discussed the various ways that community banks give back to their communities through everything from small business lending to individual employee volunteer time,” she said.
