The VBA Bank Day Scholarship Program began in 1991 when the third Tuesday in March was declared Bank Day in Virginia by the Virginia General Assembly. This year, Bank Day had more than 420 students participating with 19 banks across the Commonwealth. As a part of Bank Day, participating banks hosted in-person and virtual meetings for the students and provided resources and information so the students could learn about banking, financial services, career opportunities in the industry and the vital role banks play in their communities. Throughout this program, students also had access to a variety of resources from the VBA, including videos, articles and podcasts  covering industry topics such as banking fundamentals, understanding credit, careers in banking, banks’ economic impact in Virginia, and how the industry stepped up and responded to their communities’ challenges during the pandemic.

Students were asked to write an essay about their experience and fourteen scholarships (six regional, six honorable mention, and one overall statewide) were awarded based on the merit of the essays.

Ronit Jain, a senior at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond, was selected as this year’s statewide winner and received a $7,500 scholarship from the VBA Education Foundation. Ronit reflected on his time with Village Bank in his essay titled You’re a Neighbor, Not a Number by saying, “Following Bank Day, my perception of banks has changed drastically. Observing how Village Bank specifically helps the community by encouraging its employees to take paid leave for volunteer work, providing financial supports to local nonprofits like Beyond Boundaries and Animal League, and even hiring a community support manager to coordinate service efforts, was truly inspiring. Furthermore, learning about the various ways in which banks help customers manage their money to assure financial well-being showed me that banks sincerely care for the customers they serve. Bank Day demonstrated the value of working at a bank that cares about the community around it, a spirit that I hope to carry with me wherever my banking endeavors go.”

“We are excited to award Ronit, and all of this year’s winners, with these scholarships. A key objective of the VBA Education Foundation is to make sure that Virginia’s students are prepared for their financial futures. After reading Ronit’s essay, we know he and the other winners are well equipped to succeed in life, and we are proud to be supporting their education financially through this program.” said Bruce Whitehurst, VBA president & CEO.

The following students had winning essays:

• Capitol Region & Statewide Winner: Ronit Jain, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Hosted by Village Bank
• Capitol Honorable Mention Winner: Ashley Falat, Deep Run High School, Hosted by Village Bank
• Central/Southside Region Winner: Olivia Turner, Lord Botetourt High School, Hosted by Bank of Botetourt
• Central/Southside Honorable Mention Winner: Pranav Shah, Tunstall High School, Hosted by American National Bank & Trust Co.
• Eastern Virginia Region Winner: Natalie Parra, Kecoughtan High School, Hosted by Old Point National Bank
• Eastern Virginia Honorable Mention Winner: Mary Wells, Warwick High School, Hosted by Old Point National Bank
• Northern Virginia Region Winner: Kara Trullender, Woodbridge Senior High School, Hosted by Burke & Herbert Bank
• Northern Virginia Honorable Mention Winner: Daniel Ocansey, W.T. Woodson High School, Hosted by Burke & Herbert Bank
• Southwest Virginia Region Winner: Joe Tyson, Graham High School, Hosted by New Peoples Bank
• Southwest Virginia Honorable Mention Winner: Abigail Street, Patrick Henry High School, Hosted by First Bank & Trust Co.
• Valley Region Winner: Daniel Halterman, Mountain View High School, Hosted by F&M Bank
• Valley Honorable Mention Winner: Elijah Trumbo, Buffalo Gap High School, Hosted by F&M Bank

Click here for more information about the winners.

Since 2012, the VBA Education Foundation has distributed $244,000 in scholarship monies to 114 students, all while educating more than 3,400 participating students about the banking industry through the Bank Day program. The VBA Bank Day Scholarship Program will take place again next March.

About Virginia Bankers Association Education Foundation

The Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) formed the VBA Education Foundation in 2007 with funding from the majority of VBA member banks for the Walter Ayers Fund for Financial Education. The Foundation’s mission is to improve personal financial literacy and economic education in all public and private schools in the Commonwealth. The Foundation recognizes the importance of economic education and financial literacy in Virginia and supports the banking industry as a key participant in these areas. For more information, visit www.vabankers.org/vba-education-foundation.