Kids & Family

HoCo Teens Get Greenbacks for Giving Back

Two Howard County teens will be giving back and getting paid thanks to paid summer internships at Teach for America.

It’s not easy being a teen. There are curfews and homework and acne… not to mention getting a job.

In fact, teenagers have quite a high rate of unemployment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts that rate at nearly 18 percent for teenagers 16-19 in the Baltimore Metropolitan area in 2011.

Two Howard County teens have one less thing to worry about this summer, however. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has named its “Student Leaders” and awarded paid, 8-week internships to Katrina Hodge, a Wilde Lake High School senior and recent Marriott’s Ridge High School graduate Andrew Li. 

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“Teens are once again facing a tough time finding summer jobs,” David Millman, Maryland and Baltimore market president, Bank of America said in a statement.  “Our Student Leaders program provides them the opportunity to earn and learn, while increasing the capacity of nonprofits to serve critical community needs.”

Hodge, who lives in Columbia, has already been working in the community – serving as the chairperson on the Columbia Association Teen Advisory Committee and working to build relationships between high school students and people with intellectual disabilities. 

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Li is a Woodstock resident. He’s the founder and president of the Marriotts Ridge Key club, which a service and leadership-oriented program. He also tutors his classmates in math and science. And plays the saxophone.

The teens – along with 223 others from across the country – first attend a weeklong student leadership summit in Washington, D.C. where they learn about finances, leadership and the ways service can impact their communities.   


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