Duke Ellington School of the Arts Senior Picked As Student Leader

Every year, Bank of America selects approximately 300 high school seniors and juniors from across the United States to participate in its Student Leaders® program, a summer-long paid internship in which students receive leadership training and assist non-profit organizations in their home communities.

This year, the sole Student Leader to hail from Washington, D.C., is Santiago "Santi" Duran, a senior at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest.

Duran, one of five Student Leaders from the Greater Washington region, was chosen due to his penchant for volunteerism and his wish to pursue a career in clinical psychology.

Duran has volunteered over 100 hours of time as a patient coordinator at Christ House, a 24-hour residential medical facility for homeless persons. His experiences with patients dealing with mental illness, drug addiction, and depression has fueled his desire to provide mental health treatment in underserved communities of color.

At Ellington, Duran is the first-chair violinist in the orchestra and second-chair in the string ensemble.

The Bank of America Student Leaders® program lasts all summer and culminates in a week-long leadership summit, normally held in Washington, D.C. The 2020 summit was held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. The format for the 2021 summit is to be determined.