Troy High grad selected for Student Leaders program

TROY — Maria Nido, a recent graduate of Troy High School, is one of five metro Detroit high school students selected to join Bank of America’s 2024 Student Leaders program.

Prior to this internship, Nido has had a lot of experience helping communities, in and outside of the Troy area.

She founded the Single Mothers Initiative, which supported single mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nido has served as the Troy Cowboys varsity and Smith Middle School assistant cheer coach, a Vacation Bible School leader and a Leonard Elementary School 5th Grade Camp counselor. She was a member of the National Honors Society at Troy High School. She also represented the state of Michigan at the DECA International Career Development Conference, where she competed at the district and state levels, qualifying for the international competition.

“I got involved with this program (Student Leaders) because I really love helping out in the community,” Nido said in an email. “I found out about the program through social media and decided that it would be a really good experience for me to help out neighboring communities and make new connections.”

For Nido, the process of applying for Student Leaders was rigorous, as there were multiple essays, two letters of recommendation, a resume, and links to social media that Nido needed to submit for the opportunity.

“There is a huge emphasis on academic excellence and the magnitude of community work you have already completed, as well as any and all leadership positions held,” Nido said in an email. “It took me weeks to compile all of this and perfect my essays and short answers. It was really exciting to learn that I was one of the interns chosen for this program. I was holding off on making any other summer plans on the off chance that I ended up getting the internship, so that paid off. It was very surprising because this year the Detroit market had a record number of applications (over 200), making the acceptance rate around 4%. As soon as I found out, I let all of my family and friends know, and they were all really excited for me as well.”

Nido is already over halfway through her internship and said she has been able to learn a lot through working with Focus: HOPE. She has also been able to connect with other representatives who are affiliated with different organizations, like Henry Ford, Bank of America, Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners Community Food Bank, among others.

“I have gotten to help make phone calls to seniors informing them about expansions to their areas, which is a really good feeling knowing that I am helping seniors get the nutrition they need,” Nido said in an email. “Every day I learn and experience something new, whether it be taking care of kids in the early learning community or coming up with ideas for our final project on how Focus: Hope can expand their reach.”

Nido will be attending the University of Michigan Ross School of Business with the goal of majoring in business administration, with a specialization in finance.

“I plan to continue to do service in my community wherever I end up, as that is extremely important to me,” Nido said in an email. “As of right now, career-wise, I am most interested in the fields of finance and consulting.”

The Student Leaders program is an eight-week paid summer internship for students around their junior and senior years of high school. Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, the program recognizes 300 community-focused juniors and seniors from across the U.S. annually. Since 2004, it has engaged more than 4,500 students and invested $42 million nationally to build pathways to economic mobility across nearly 100 markets, according to the company. Seventy-five students have participated in the program since it launched in Detroit in 2008.

The program is designed to unlock students’ and prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow, according to Star Crawford, a market executive at Bank of America Michigan.

“Together, they exemplify hard work, dedication and drive. . . Congratulations to all five of these talented students,” she said in a press release.

The students will gain practical work and life experience working with local nonprofits, all while earning competitive wages, the company said. During this summer, Nido; Tanya Caldaza, from Detroit; Jason Howard, from Pontiac; Nisha Singhi, from Bloomfield Hills; and Alexander Villagomez, also from Detroit, will participate in programming that includes a collaborative, mentor-focused project with Focus: HOPE and be flown out to a leadership summit in Washington, D.C.

Focus: HOPE is a Detroit-based nonprofit organization with the goal of overcoming racism and poverty by providing education and training programs and resources for those in need, according to the organization.

Rachel Sherman-Guastella, the manager of the volunteer department at Focus: HOPE, said the organization is thrilled to welcome the students. “Their enthusiasm and dedication are inspiring, and we look forward to empowering them with the knowledge and experience to make a difference in their communities,” she said in a press release.

For more information, visit www.bankofamerica.com.