BUFFALO GROVE, IL — With an acceptance rate of less than 4 percent of applicants, being named a Bank of America Student Leader is no small feat, just ask Saanvi Adusumalli.
“It was a complete shock when I got the acceptance email and I reread it at least 20 times before it actually registered that I was a Student Leader,” the Buffalo Grove native, and rising senior at Adlai E. Stevenson High School, recently told Patch. “So far, the experience has been amazing.”
Adusumalli is one of just five accomplished Chicago-area students recognized by the program. According to Bank of America, the program includes a “prestigious” paid internship intended to provide students a summer of leadership experience, civic engagement, and workforce skills-building. The program, which is in its 20th year, connects high school seniors and recent graduates with a summer of work experience in the nonprofit sector.
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“All the professionals I’ve met have been so kind and open,” Adusumalli said. “The other student leaders are incredibly accomplished, and I can’t wait to learn more from them.”
Adusumalli said she is currently working with the nonprofit, Metropolitan Family Services, a Chicago-based organization that “empowers families to learn, to earn, to heal, to thrive.”
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In selecting Adusumalli, Bank of America said she “demonstrated a commitment to community service and an entrepreneurial spirit that are unique for students her age.” Adusumalli sits on the editorial board as co-editor-in-chief for her school’s award-winning newspaper, The Statesman, where she directs and organizes news, features, opinions, and sports stories and reports on critical community-based stories.
“We’re a robust staff of around 50 members, and we meet every day during seventh period. We focus on issues relevant to our school like diversity, religion, gender equality in STEM, funding, etc., but we also like to see how world events affect our student body,” said Adusumalli, who is co-editor-in-chief. “Our staff meets daily, but since we have to write, interview, design, and go through multiple edit cycles, we take a lot of work home as well. For me, when you love something, it doesn’t really feel like work.”
Adusumalli tells us she’s also an avid chess player, with more than 10 years of competitive chess experience. She is also the director of the Piece Project, a free chess tutoring service for young kids of all ages and levels.
“Chess has been an integral part of my life for almost a decade now, and even though I play chess less often now than I did before high school, I appreciate all the lessons the game has taught me,” Adusumalli said. “I have learned creativity, patience, and how to stay calm under pressure. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the game saw a huge spike in recreational players, leading to an increase in chess streamers, which helped the game grow and made it even more fun.”
To date, the Piece Project has taught more than 50 students, hosted small tournaments, and raised approximately $500 to buy chess equipment for children in need.
Adusumalli has also been a member of Stevenson’s chess team, which has consecutively won the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Illinois High School Association Chess Team Championships.
Through the summer internship, Adusumalli said she is hoping to learn more about how nonprofits operates, especially in the local community.
“I also would love for my internship to give me a sense of what career path I should take,” Adusumalli said. “My internship is also showing me what it’s like to have an office job — it is nothing like school.”
This month, Adusumalli and other Bank of America Student Leaders are traveling to Washington, D.C., for a week-long, all expenses paid national leadership summit. Students will grow their network, meet with policymakers, and learn how nonprofits, governments and businesses collaborate to meet the needs of local communities, according to Bank of America.
“As for D.C., I obviously can’t wait to meet the other Student Leaders from across the country. I’ve met a couple online, and they have accomplished great things,” Adusumalli said. “I know I will learn an incredible amount from them. I also can’t wait to meet the government officials, nonprofit leaders, and business leaders in DC. I hope to hear their guidance and learn from them.”
Following the summer program, Adusumalli anticipates a busy senior year. Though she doesn’t know where she will go to school, she is hoping to study economics or business and further explore her other interests like public policy, international relations, and political science.
“In college, I plan to maintain my level of community involvement, possibly joining the college newspaper or chess team and having a positive impact on my college community,” Adusumalli said. “After college, I hope that wherever I end up working, that I have a real impact on the world around me.”
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