South Side High School student Sean Clairine joins Bank of America student leader program

Sean Clairine, a rising senior at South Side High School, was selected as one of five lucky teenagers to participate in Bank of America’s Student Leaders program.

For the past 19 years, Bank of America has helped teens grow employment and leadership skills, by selecting candidates from diverse backgrounds and those, who like Clairine, are making a difference in their communities for an eight-week paid summer internship with local non-profit organizations — Island Harvest and the EAC Network.

“Helping young adults build job experience in their communities while helping nonprofits is critical,” Marc Perez, president of Bank of America Long Island, said. “Offering work opportunities to our teens will help them become stronger leaders and provide them hands-on experience as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

In past years, the program has teamed up with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs in New Jersey and the Youth Men’s Christian Association of Greater New York in Manhattan. Some have even gone as far as Washington D.C. on an all-expense internship.

Clairine started his own nonprofit organization last year called Generation Motivation, with the goal of helping at-risk and low-income children on Long Island and in New York City with opportunities to pursue their interests by providing financial and emotional resources to promote opportunities for success. The organization also offers a variety of mental health and educational services and resources.

He said that he hopes the organization, will help kids find faith in themselves and encourage others to dream of what the future can hold for them.

In the past year, Generation Motivation has received a great deal of support from the community, raising more than $4,300. 

Clairine heard about the Student Leaders Program through a TikTok video posted by a former participant in the program, a few years back and applied during his junior year at South Side High School. A month later, he received notification that he was accepted.

“I’m the first student from my school to participate in the Student Leaders program, so I was really excited to receive the news,” Clairine said. “It felt like getting into my dream college. It was exciting, rewarding, and also like a wave of relief. One more step in my plan was now solidified.”

Over the summer, Clairine will work as an intern with the EAC Network, a nonprofit social service agency that focuses on the protection and promotion of the services of their communities.

Clairine said that he looks forward to being out in the field, serving the community. He said he wants to learn more about people’s backgrounds and become an active participant in the organization, expressing a desire to form a partnership with EAC Network in the future.

“One of my passions is helping children from disadvantaged situations to create a more inclusive environment. The work I’m doing as a Student Leader with EAC Network will help me in the work that I do for my nonprofit,” he said.

Next year, he will be headed to college where he plans on studying law. “Being a part of the Student Leaders program has been genuinely amazing, especially the leadership summit,” he said. “I’ve been telling all my friends to apply … I’d love to get more people involved in making a difference because these programs aren’t talked about enough.”

He said that the most rewarding part of the program is seeing the results of his efforts. It helps keep him motivated — along with the help and support of his family and friends — and stress-free.

Clairine said once you step outside of your comfort zone to do something as meaningful as this, it shows you the strength it takes to keep working at your goal.