Cleveland’s “Fed Scholars” pen book on the city through their eyes

Since 2011, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has partnered with community organizations to employ students from area high schools in a paid internship: the Fed Scholars Program. The students learn about career paths, acquire workplace and life skills, and contribute to the education and museum outreach work of the Bank. In 2017, for the first time, seven Fed Scholars also became published authors.

Over the past year, Fed Scholars from Lincoln-West High School in Cleveland shared, through poems and short essays, some of their thoughts and experiences related to school, friends, family, and the future. Their reflections can be found in a book -- Somewhere in Cleveland: The Cleveland Fed Scholars Story Project -- that can be downloaded from the Bank’s website.

Writing in the foreword to the book, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President and CEO Loretta J. Mester says, “The students’ stories are candid, written in their own words, and informed by their daily lives. Woven throughout the book are threads of youthful optimism and pride in their communities – something I find inspiring.”

“The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is committed to engaging with, connecting to, and better understanding the diverse communities we serve,” says Kelly Banks, vice president of the Cleveland Fed’s Community Engagement function. “The book is a candid and hopeful comment on the challenges and opportunities facing not only Cleveland, but communities all across the country.”

The Cleveland Reserve Bank also developed a Story Project Toolkit with tips and resources for others interested in starting their own story project.

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that along with the Board of Governors in Washington DC comprise the Federal Reserve System. Part of the US central bank, the Cleveland Fed participates in the formulation of our nation’s monetary policy, supervises banking organizations, provides payment and other services to financial institutions and to the US Treasury, and performs many activities that support Federal Reserve operations System-wide. In addition, the Bank supports the well-being of communities across the Fourth Federal Reserve District through a wide array of research, outreach, and educational activities.

The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

Media contact

Doug Campbell, doug.campbell@clev.frb.org, 513.218.1892