ABL Programs Building Outstanding Leaders Today (BOLT) The Merrill Lynch/Building Outstanding Leaders Today (BOLT) program is our advanced yearlong follow-up to our SBI program that enables ABL’s Summer Business Institute Alumni to continue learning and developing their business leadership skills. Started in 1999, BOLT is open to the top 25% of SBI students. Each student is a current high school student or recent graduate who submitted a written application with an essay, received a nomination from ABL’s SBI site staff, and completed a group interview prior to their acceptance into the program.  In addition, the majority of our BOLT students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, possess marginal grade point averages, and demonstrate great potential and motivation to succeed.  Mission: The BOLT program seeks to arm SBI alumni with the ability to identify resources and opportunities through mentor relationships that will support their educational, professional, personal, and civic development, while simultaneously fostering within each student an attitude of independence, self-sufficiency, personal responsibility, and service.  Upon completion of the program, students will be better equipped to find “their way” beyond ABL. The BOLT program has continued to grow over the last ten years adding new components, projects, and opportunities for participates. The current program is comprised of 14 components: Internship Opportunities and Placement Transformational Leadership Seminars Mentorship College Preparatory Component Social Entrepreneurship Center for Ideation Advanced Stock Market Competition Social Impact Contract (SIC) Delta Service Project SBI 2011 Peer Coaching Training in Action (TIA) CEO Roundtables Business and Life Skills Training Advanced Power Networking Game Students receive a commitment of 5 hours per month of one-on-one mentorship.  In 2001, we also added a follow-up stock market competition and career nights in order to provide our students with more opportunities. We further offer monthly and bi-weekly seminars, ropes course training, team building get-togethers, and overnight retreats. For the last nine years, BOLT’s qualitative impact has been manifested in significant and life changing ways on our talented, high unrealized potential students due to the tangible and intangibles skills our students are able to build upon after their experience in our Summer Business Institute (SBI).