Arabia Roberts, a 12-year-old D.C. resident, is among the winners of OneUnited Bank’s 9th annual I Got Bank! Youth Essay & Art Contest.
Essay and art submissions from 30 states and the District boosted participation this time to a nine-year high, with each the 10 youth contestants being awarded a $1,000 savings account for their entries.
“This year we were excited to see the volume and diversity of submissions and were inspired by all the essays and art,” said Teri Williams, the bank’s president and chief operating officer. “Congratulations to our winners and their families for appreciating the importance of financial literacy,” added Williams, who wrote the book “I Got Bank!” after discovering the lack of books geared toward educating urban youth about financial literacy.
The other winners were Sabreen A. El-Amin, 12, of Pasadena, Calif.; Kristian Flakes, 11, of Pearland, Texas; Precious Fofana, 8, of Hyde Park, Mass.; Zaiderick Hayes, 12, of Birmingham, Ala.; Arielle Johnson, 12, of Davenport, Iowa; DeAsia Mauldin, 11, of Compton, Calif.; Xavier Nelson, 12, of Moseley, Va.; Patrick Sweet, 11, of Miramar, Fla.; and David Wines, 10, of Des Moines, Iowa.
OneUnited Bank is the largest Black-owned bank in the country. The “I Got Bank!” Youth Essay & Art contest is part of a larger OneUnited Bank initiative to educate youth and adults about smart money management.a
