Two Howard County students — Joseph Phelps, a senior at Mount Hebron High School and Teresa Wang, a senior at Howard High School — recently completed the Bank of America Student Leaders Program.

Started in 2004, the program connects service-minded high school juniors and seniors to eight-week paid summer internships with local nonprofits to gain leadership skills and early work experience, according to a news release. Maryland-based student leaders participated in programming that included a collaborative, mentor-focused project with the Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore to provide educational experiences for museum guests.

During the eight-week internship, each student led a project to improve the museum experience, according to the news release.

Phelps is a 2023 National and International Champion on the National Economics Challenge and runs a nonprofit focused on providing middle schoolers with free early STEM exposure, according to the release. Phelps will be focusing on economics and environmental engineering at Mount Hebron and plans to pursue a career in environmental policy or green technology innovation.

“The Bank of America Student Leaders Program has been an incredible journey of discovery and growth,” Phelps said in the release. “Through my work with Bank of America and Port Discovery, I’ve learned that sustainability isn’t just about protecting the environment – it’s about creating engaging, educational experiences that inspire the next generation to become stewards of our planet.”

Wang founded 1stGenGuide, an initiative that aims to support first-generation/low income students and international students in the college application process through SAT tutoring, essay editing and mentorship programs, according to the release. Wang has aided more than 200 students in the application process through her initiative and plans to study behavioral economics in college.

“The Bank of America Student Leaders program has given us as high school students, a unique chance to see exactly how the government, nonprofits, and corporations intersect and the effect that intersection has on society,” Wang said in the release. “Through the Student Leaders program I have learned about the importance of community involvement and how to further apply my skills to give back to my community in areas outside of my school.”