Boston – ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston, the free after-school program run by award-winning design and construction professionals with the goal of encouraging high school students to pursue careers in the architecture, construction and engineering industries, announced the 9th annual ACE Networking Event will occur on Thursday, June 22 2023, at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter.
This year, ACE awarded the largest amount in scholarships since inception, totaling $210,000 to 30 dedicated high school seniors in the Class of 2023. Varying from $1,000 to $20,000, the scholarships awarded to participating students in the Greater Boston area will support their college, university, or trade school education in these fields. The ACE Mentor Program has awarded $1,267,500 in college and trade school scholarships since its creation in 2007.
Following two years of remote learning, students were able to return to hands-on, in-person sessions for their desired professions this past fall during the 2022-2023 school year. The students worked with their mentors to design emergency shelter sites for the aftermath of a hurricane in Boston, and each team created a unique response to the design prompt. As part of a strategic plan to grow, ACE added two new sites this school year: PCA Design in Cambridge and Roxbury Community College. ACE was recognized this year with the prestigious Commonwealth Award by the Boston Society for Architecture.
An award-winning, platinum-rated charity on Guidestar, ACE relies on the support of partners and donors that help provide the resources for students to learn and experience the architecture, construction, and engineering industries first-hand. After years of supporting the mission of ACE, Boylston Properties, a Boston-based, award-winning developer, offered to up the ante with a commitment of $125,000 over the course of five years, making Boylston Properties the official “Presenting Sponsor” of the ACE Networking Event in 2023 for the second year.
“We’re beyond grateful for our industry partners, both as funders and as mentors, giving ACE students a multitude of reasons to return year after year,” expresses Jennifer Fries, Executive Director of ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston. “Without the longstanding relationships and positive influence from our sponsors, making 2023 a milestone year for our scholarship program, we would not be able to impact as many students as we have and will continue to do so.”
ACE provides participants the support and resources needed to further their education in their respective fields with the help of community-based organizations to serve as mentors and hosts for on-site visits. This year, ACE also partnered with the National Organization of Minority Architects’ Boston Chapter, bosNOMA, where they provided a series of workshops on careers in design. In addition to the fiscal assistance to further education outside of the program, ACE is also proud to offer paid internships to students during the summer months. In the summer of 2022, a record-breaking number of students received paying jobs – 19 to be exact.
For more information on the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston, please visit the website. For more information on how to sponsor, donate or purchase tickets for the 9th Annual ACE Networking Event, please visit the Eventbrite page.
