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 their current rate of success as student enrollment exceeded all previous years’ totaling 170 students.
In addition, the program has raised a total of $200,000, the most successful fundraising effort to date.
With support from donors, sponsors, and partners, the fundraised money will help the program provide an interactive, hands-on experience for its students while also offering more scholarship opportunities.
At the spring 2020 final presentation, the ACE Mentor Program awarded $152,000 in scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $11,000, to graduating high school seniors who participated in the 2019-2020 initiative. Participating students are currently meeting virtually on a weekly basis with their respective mentors while also receiving kits of supplies directly to their homes, allowing them to learn design and engineering skills and physically put those skills to work by designing a mock-residential project.
“As an organization, our goal is to grow and expand in order to provide top-notch educational tools and career exploration for students,” said Casey Williams, newly appointed president of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston. “We are beyond thankful for all our donors, sponsors, and partners for supporting us during such a challenging year. With record-breaking donations coming in, we have the ability to continue to cultivate opportunities and financial support to select students.”
In addition to the financial growth, the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston has added new schools to their reputable roster of partners throughout the Greater Boston area. New schools for the 2020-2021 year include Chelsea High School, Medway High School, Malden Catholic, University Park Campus School, Burncoat High School (Worcester), Essex Technical and Agricultural High School, Westborough High School, Chelsea Opportunity Academy, North High School (Worcester), Neighborhood House Charter School, Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, Framingham High School, Westford Academy, Doherty Memorial High School, Bridgeway Academy and Boston Collegiate Charter School.
The architecture, construction and engineering industries are constantly evolving, and ACE also is proud to offer students a diverse quantity of knowledge by working with varying firms. This year, the program has added Dyer Brown Architects, Finegold Alexander Architects, Hatch (Civil Engineers), AMCON Corp, Related Beal LLC, Studio Troika, Ellenzweig, Haley & Aldrich, Inc., The Whiting Turner Company, Ostrow Electric, Jacobs, CHA Consulting, Interior Architects, GEI, Hargreaves Jones and DiMella Shaffer to their list of distinguished firms.
ACE of Greater Boston was launched in 2007 and is one of 70-plus affiliates under the ACE national umbrella. Through practical, project-based, hands-on explorations, students work collaboratively and creatively to design innovative solutions to real world problems. With professional guidance by esteemed industry mentors who are full-time employees of construction, design and engineering firms, students embark on a five-month design project, through weekly sessions after school, to develop the professionalism, teamwork, and collaboration that the industry requires. During this time, the students construct a hypothetical project in order to learn about each discipline and take part in activities such as site visits, scavenger hunt, Revit training and trade day.
