When senior Ryan Silver walked into the teleconference room Dec. 6, he felt like he was being watched. Literally. As a matter of fact, Silver was being watched with not one, not two, but 70 pairs of eyes — specifically, the eyes of 70 AP microeconomics students. And in front of those students, Silver found himself presenting about the Federal Reserve Bank system — a required component of being a part of the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s prestigious Board of Directors program. 

“I’ve done stuff like piano or general leadership where I had to talk in front of people, but I have not done something in the past where I’ve had to talk for 15 minutes,” Silver said. “It was the first major presentation that I’ve given; it was pretty cool seeing how something I spent time practicing on go successfully. I was definitely nervous, but it was a learning experience.”

Silver and 28 fellow students in the St. Louis area were chosen to participate in the Board of Directors program in May 2021. He was nominated to apply for the role by his AP microeconomics teacher Jim Goldwasser. 

“I asked who was interested and he was one of the kids that was,” Goldwasser said. “He’s a really bright kid. He has a great deal of ability [and] work ethic. I thought he was a great fit.” 

However, being a part of the program entails much more than a resume booster. According to Silver, the Board of Directors program assigns “homework” in the form of educational modules about economics, finance, taxing, etc. Then, at the Board’s monthly meetings, Silver and his peers discuss their learnings and correspond with Federal Reserve officials. 

As of December 2021, the Board has conducted all meetings via Zoom as a COVID-19 safety precaution. Silver is hopeful that the discussions can be shifted to an in person setting with the new year. Regardless of the setting, though, Silver feels that the program has left a lasting impact on him. 

“This program teaches a lot of stuff that isn’t taught in regular economics classes,” Silver said. “It’s a really good foundation for whatever I want to do in college.”