On March 19, more than 550 Virginia high school seniors spent the day shadowing bankers at 36 banks across Virginia 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 was to expose students to the banking industry, as it provided an opportunity for the students to learn about banking, financial services and the vital role banks plays in their communities.

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 by the VBA, and from those six winners an overall statewide winner will be chosen. The statewide winner will receive an additional $5,000 scholarship – $7,500 in total. There will also be six honorable mention scholarships of $1,000 each. In all, twelve students statewide will receive scholarships totaling $26,000.

During their visit, the students learned about the banking industry, ways to manage their financial futures, career opportunities in banking and the ways that banks support the communities they serve.

“Bank Day is one of the best short-term, hands-on experiences for students—the opportunity to go tour the bank, to observe customer/banker 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 banking industry,” said Bruce Whitehurst, president & CEO of the Virginia Bankers Association.

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton commended VBA Bank Day by entering a resolution into the Congressional record on March 14, 2019. You can view the resolution here.

The following banks hosted students for Bank Day 2019:

For more information about the VBA Bank Day Scholarship Program, please contact Monica McDearmon at mmcdearmon@vabankers.org. To view pictures from the event, visit our Facebook page here. Please feel free to use these photos, as all student have submitted photo releases.

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About the VBA Education Foundation

The Virginia Bankers Association Education Foundation was formed in 2007 with the objective of recognizing the importance of economic education and financial literacy in Virginia and supporting the banking industry as a key participant in these areas. Their mission is to advance personal financial literacy to students in all public and private schools across the Commonwealth. With the support of banks across Virginia, the Foundation has contributed more than $980,000 to various statewide financial literacy programs and organizations since 2008.

About the Virginia Bankers Association

The Virginia Bankers Association represents banks of all sizes and charters and has served as the unified voice for Virginia’s $615 billion banking industry and its 42 thousand employees since 1893. To learn more about the VBA, click here.