5 area students taking part in BofA leadership program

With his senior year at Franklin Military Academy fast approaching, Sgt. Maj. Kimara Davis is spending his summer honing his leadership skills.

It's not a school-based pursuit, though.

Davis is getting his practice at the North Richmond branch of the YMCA, thanks to a program run by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.

He and four other area students are among 230 juniors and seniors nationwide participating in the foundation's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative leadership program. Starting July 19, they'll spend a week in Washington, where they'll participate in workshops and seminars. The foundation also will fund eight-week paid internships at nonprofit groups -- YMCAs, for the Richmond-area students.

Jimmie Bullock, a graduate of Prince George High School; Dana Cypress, a rising senior at Lee-Davis; Naveed Fazlani, a rising senior at Mills Godwin; and Michael Harrison, a rising senior at George Wythe, are also participating.

"I think it's a very good experience," Davis said. "It's teaching me leadership. It's teaching me how a nonprofit operates in every phase. And it's teaching me networking."

Davis said he hopes this summer's networking leads to another kind of networking: computer. He's hoping to study computer engineering in college, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the top of his list. He is also going to apply to Virginia Tech, Virginia Military Institute and DeVry.

"I think [the internship] is going to help me with that," he said.

The program pays off for the bank, too, said Gary Gore, president of Bank of America's Richmond market.

"Through the NEI program, we're helping to create a culture of national service, positioning these students to create ongoing positive change in Richmond and beyond," he said.

Davis said he'd like to see that happen.

"I hope to come back to Richmond someday and volunteer, to give back to my community," he said.

Contact Zachary Reid at (804) 775-8179 or .