Henrico students named VBA contest winners

Two high school students from the Henrico area won thousands in scholarship money from the Virginia Bankers Association Education Foundation.

Students were asked to write about their experience participating in the VBA Bank Day Scholarship program, an initiative that teaches Virginia students about finance, industry, and the role of banks in communities.

Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School senior Ronit Jain was named Capitol Region and Statewide winner of the contest, earning $7,500 for his college education. Jain will be attending UC Berkeley next year to study electrical engineering and computer science.

In Jain’s essay, “You’re a Neighbor, Not a Number,” he wrote fondly about his time with Village Bank, citing the bank’s financial support to local nonprofits and efforts to serve the community.

“Bank Day demonstrated the value of working at a bank that cares about the community around it, a spirit that I hope to carry with me wherever my banking endeavors go,” he wrote in the award-winning essay.

Another Henrico student, Ashley Falat of Deep Run High School, was named the Capitol Honorable Mention winner, earning $1,700 in scholarship money. Falat will be joining Virginia Tech’s class of 2026 this coming fall.

Jain and Falat competed for 14 scholarships against more than 420 other students who participated in Bank Day this year, which was hosted by 19 banks throughout Virginia (including Village Bank, which sponsored their particular awards).

Since 2012, the VBA Education Foundation has distributed $244,000 in scholarship money to 114 students.

For details about the VBA Education Foundation, visit https://www.vabankers.org/education-foundation.