Beginning this fall, the Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) Education Foundation and seven Virginia banks will again sponsor the Virginia Banking Fellows Program in partnership with the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE). The mission of this statewide program is to provide opportunities for deserving community college students to pursue their academic goals, strengthen their leadership skills, and learn more about the banking industry.

Thirteen students from nine Virginia community colleges have been designated as Virginia Banking Fellows and will each receive a $7,000 scholarship to support tuition, books, fees and other expenses related to their education. The banking industry contributed an additional $3,000 per Fellow to cover educational elements and the administrative fees of the Program, for a total of $10,000 per Fellow and $130,000 in all. The Virginia Banking Fellows will be a cohort within the larger VFCCE Fellows Program, which was established in 2011 to help promising second-year students at Virginia’s community colleges.

Fellows participate in statewide leadership training and conferences, cultural opportunities and community service activities. Virginia Banking Fellows will also have the additional opportunity to participate in online banking industry training as well as a variety of banking industry networking and educational events throughout the year.

For the 2023-2024 school year, the VBA Education Foundation has committed a total of $60,000 to sponsor six Fellows from the following community colleges:

• Germanna Community College
• Laurel Ridge Community College
• Mountain Empire Community College
• Northern Virginia Community College
• Piedmont Virginia Community College
• Tidewater Community College

Seven Virginia banks have also committed a total of $70,000 to sponsor a student from each of the following community colleges for the 2023-2024 Virginia Banking Fellows Program:

• Blue Ridge Community College – Blue Ridge Bank
• Danville Community College – American National Bank & Trust Co.
• Laurel Ridge Community College – Bank of Clarke Foundation
• Laurel Ridge Community College – First Bank, Virginia
• Reynolds Community College – Atlantic Union Bank
• Reynolds Community College – Chesapeake Bank
• Tidewater Community College – TowneBank

The Fellows program will launch next Thursday and Friday, September 14-15, at an orientation in Richmond and will run through May 2024. If you would like to schedule an interview with Virginia Bankers Association President & CEO Bruce Whitehurst on this program or any of the banking industry’s financial literacy and economic education initiatives, contact Chandler Owdom. 

About Virginia Bankers Association Education Foundation

The Virginia Bankers Association (VBA) formed the VBA Education Foundation in 2007 with funding from the majority of VBA member banks for the Walter Ayers Fund for Financial Education. The Foundation’s mission is to improve personal financial literacy and economic education in all public and private schools in the Commonwealth. The Foundation recognizes the importance of economic education and financial literacy in Virginia and supports the banking industry as a key participant in these areas. For more information, visit www.vabankers.org/vba-education-foundation.

About Virginia Foundation for Community College Education

The Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE) mission: Building student success and the Commonwealth’s future by supporting Virginia’s Community Colleges. As the supporting arm of Virginia’s 23 community colleges, VFCCE broadens educational access and supports student success, securing funds and resources for statewide initiatives. For more information on the VFCCE, visit www.vfcce.org.