FirstBank launches $400K YOU First College Program
FirstBank announced the start of the YOU First College Program in partnership with six Puerto Rico universities, through which it will provide more than $400,000 in scholarships, internships, financial and labor education, as well as provide spaces for studying on campuses, among others.
In this first edition, the program is collaborating with the Pontifical Catholic University, Universidad Ana G. Méndez, InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras and Mayagüez, and Sacred Heart University.
“As a Puerto Rican financial institution, we believe that education is the engine of intellectual, social and ethical growth, as well as of the economic development of our island,” said FirstBank President Aurelio Alemán.
“We’re convinced that the return on investment on education is so high that, for every young person who maximizes their education process, we also impact the life of their family and that of their community,” Alemán said.
“Companies like us, in turn, benefit from this talent. In the end, we accomplish the transformation of our country. That’s why at FirstBank we join universities in propelling the best version of each young person we impact,” he said.
The program includes:
YOU First Scholarship Program — scholarships aimed at low-income students demonstrating good academic performance. This year, $55,000 in scholarships will be awarded.
YOU First Internship Program — which annually offers the opportunity to do an internship at FirstBank to students from various disciplines such as: finance, accounting, economics, technology, industrial engineering, marketing, strategic planning, human resources and legal; allowing them to have their first work experiences. As part of the program, students will receive one-on-one educational talks and mentoring with FirstBank executives.
1Éxito Universitarios — virtual trainings developed in collaboration with INprende, aimed at educating students about entrepreneurship, managing their financial future, leadership, and insertion into the working world.
YOU First College Tour — in which universities are visited to receive education regarding good financial practices and on how to evolve in the management of finances through the bank’s products and services.
The Outfit — a project that seeks to help students enter the working world through a store located in the UPR’s School of Business Administration at the Río Piedras campus. There, students who do not have the proper attire to attend job interviews can get the pieces they need for free.
Space 1 — a multipurpose area to study and have group meetings on university campuses, aiming to be a meeting point for the student community. Students from the InterAmerican University, San Germán and Bayamón campuses, and the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce campus, will soon have these spaces.
