CTBC Bank’s Robert De Acevedo – Commitment To Community

As a partner with YBA, CTBC Bank has invested in YBA’s success through financial support and employee volunteer time. At the helm to shepherd this effort is Robert De Acevedo, YBA’s Vice President of the Board, and CTBC Bank’s First Vice President and CRA Officer. “Our goal as a Bank is to help the communities we serve grow and prosper. Our partnership with YBA helps meet one of the critical needs identified within our community which is a lack of financial literacy.”

As a YBA guest speaker, Robert could see that he opened up student’s minds to new opportunities. “Recently at a career day, I got up in front of a classroom and asked, “who wants to work at a bank when they grow up?’” No one raised their hand. I wasn’t surprised as I just followed two other guest speakers: a police officer and a pilot of an Army Blackhawk helicopter. I appreciated their service so much, however, I knew they would be tough acts to follow. I talked about how important banks are to helping people make their dreams come true, whether that means starting a business they’re passionate about or buying their first home. I explained the variety of positions within a bank – Marketing, Information Technology (helping to thwart hackers), Personal Bankers, Lenders, Human Resources and many others. At the end of my presentation, I asked again who is now interested in working at a bank, and then a few hands went up!” Robert always incorporates financial literacy lessons into his presentations as well to ensure students come away with tools that will help them as they get older. Topics that Robert has presented on include the importance of saving, buying your first car, creating a budget, using credit cards, managing debt, saving for college, and protecting your identity.

A first generation American of immigrant parents from Argentina, Robert recalls going to the bank as a child with his parents and helping to act as their translator. “I remember seeing the look on my parents’ faces when presented with so much to overcome. I often see that same face looking back at me with these students. They’re confronted with similar barriers that at times can seem overwhelming.”

This is one of the main reasons why Robert is so passionate about being a mentor, sharing with students that they too can be successful after high school, in college and in a career. “The YBA program shows students through examples that others have gone onto successful careers in a variety of industries. Exposure is extremely important.” This passion moved Robert to join the YBA Board of Directors in 2019.

Robert sees an even deeper connection between YBA and CTBC Bank on the horizon. “Every year, CTBC Bank performs a survey with non-profit partners to find out what the greatest needs are locally and how to best meet those needs. Last year, the lack of financial literacy ranked among the greatest needs found within communities we serve. Having a partnership with YBA helps meet that need for financial literacy.”

Now in 2022, coming out of the pandemic, Robert sees an even greater opportunity to extend YBA’s impact beyond Los Angeles. “We’ve been successful with a virtual implementation of the YBA program, and we can broaden our reach beyond Los Angeles to other regions and communities. I’m looking forward to seeing how many more young lives we can impact together.”