Dallas ISD High School Students Are Gaining Real World Experience

DALLAS - July 2, 2014 - PRLog -- This summer,Capital One is teaming up with the National Academy Foundation (NAF) to host 10 Dallas ISD (DISD) high school interns from five schools as part of a financial internship program.

The exclusive opportunity to intern at Capital One’s Plano Campus was awarded to students from Dallas who attend career-themed academies. Selection criterion was based on each student’s academic excellence record and involvement in their schools and communities in addition to personal letters of interest and recommendation letters from teachers and other professionals.

The following 10 students have been awarded Capital One internships:

·         Fabiola Arteaga, Thomas Jefferson High School

·         Celeste Garcia, Woodrow Wilson High School

·         Ayana Harper, Emmett J. Conrad High School

·         Jennifer Hernandez, W.H. Adamson High School

·         Angie Lopez, Justin F. Kimball High School

·         Laura Lopez, Thomas Jefferson High School

·         Emili Quintero, Emmett J. Conrad High School

·         Stefani  Quintanilla, Thomas Jefferson High School

·         Tyonia Rouchon, Justin F. Kimball High School

·         Oscar Sigaran, Woodrow Wilson High School

All of the students will be seniors in the fall of 2014.

The students began their internships in mid-June and will work on Capital One’s Plano Campus through the end of July.

“Capital One is thrilled to host these students in a unique program that will help propel them into the next stage of their lives,” said Sanjiv Yajnik, president of Capital One Financial Services. “This is an important opportunity that NAF and DISD have set up to allow students to better understand the workplace. Giving students access to quality, affordable education from the cradle to graduation is the key to strengthening our local education system and will help the local business community grow, mentor and retain the very best talent right in our backyard.”

NAF is a nonprofit organization that prepares underserved students for college and career success through industry-focused curricula, work-based learning experiences and business partner expertise. Capital One has supported the NAF mission in aiding academy students with career tools since 2009. In 2011, Yajnik joined the NAF board of directors with the goal to actively partner with NAF at a national level.

The Capital One paid internships program is providing a customized, six-week program that enables students to team up with professionals in their areas of interest, including career tracks in finance, hospitality/events, and information technology. In addition, the program offers a buddy and mentor for each student, weekly lunch-and-learn sessions with professionals and executives of the company, and a student competition.

Capital One is passionate about and actively supports internships related to education and workforce development, both in college and high school. NAF is a nationally known nonprofit that is founded on developing and sustaining a high school national network of academic and professional success, making this partnership a natural blending of mutual interests.

Additionally, DISD partnered with Capital One and other corporations in the DFW metroplex to  provide transportation to and from Plano, Richardson and Irving in order for students to get to their appropriate destinations for the NAF program.

About Capital One

Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $208.3 billion in deposits and $290.5 billion in total assets as of March 31, 2014. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has more than 900 branch locations primarily in Texas, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

About National Academy Foundation

The National Academy Foundation (NAF) is an acclaimed network of career-themed academies that opens doors for underserved high school students to viable careers. For more than 30 years, NAF has refined a proven model that provides young people access to industry-specific curricula, work-based learning experiences, and relationships with business professionals. NAF academies focus on one of five career themes: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences. More than 4,600 business professionals volunteer in classrooms, act as mentors, engage NAF students in paid internships, and serve on local advisory boards. During the 2012-13 school year over 62,000 students attended 546 NAF academies across 39 states, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2012, NAF academies reported 97% of seniors graduated.