Several Union Studio staff members have volunteered for the ACE Mentorship program over the years. They continue to find time to be involved regardless of how full their schedules are, so I sat down with Project Manager Tami Hughes (former ACE Mentor of the Year) to learn more about what makes this program so special. – by Emily Hall

Tell me about ACE…
ACE is a free after-school mentoring program for high school students, run by an all-volunteer staff of individuals who work in the architecture, construction, or engineering industry (A/C/E). The goal is to introduce students to A/C/E careers. We meet once a week for 2 hours, for 18 weeks. During this time students learn about how the industry works, tour local projects, offices and colleges, and work on group projects, which they present at the end of the term. If the students choose to come back for another year, ACE offers another program where the group enters a national competition against other ACE chapters throughout the country. The winners of the competition go to Washington D.C. to present and receive their award. We are fortunate to have two ACE chapters in RI: one in Providence and one in Northern RI. It is open to all public or private high school students...

What kind of students get involved?
There is a huge variety. Some students already know they are interested in one of the A/C/E fields and others are just curious. The demographic is really diverse.

What do they do?
For the first half of the semester we do different projects each week that touch on various aspects of the fields. As examples, during the architecture focus their project was to create a house plan using a program and site that we provided. For the engineering focus students tested the strength of beams that they built. All projects are done in groups so that they can get accustomed to what it is really like to work as a team.

For the second half of the semester students design a house and make a presentation board showing their materials and plans. These groups present in front of an auditorium full of their parents, teachers, ACE volunteers and fellow students. It is a real challenge in that it forces them to step out of their comfort zone and gain presentation experience!

The returning year students get to work on a competition for the duration of the program. Each year they are given three choices to pick from, this year's choices were a history museum, a parking garage "outside of the box," and a waterfront / riverside park. At the end of the program they present their boards and send them off to Washington D.C. for judging.

Do students find that their expectations of what these professions are going to be like are accurate?
Perception is often different than reality! Our premise is to give an accurate representation of what A/C/E professions are like, not to glamorize them at all. We’ll try to help the students figure out if these careers are right for them; which is why it is so important to have mentors in all the A/C/E fields to be readily available to answer questions. I believe that this is one of the most important aspects of the program because it gives students access to professionals that they might not otherwise have. One of the most common questions I get is “do you get to go out in the field?” (The answer is yes, but it is only about 10% of my actual work, even though it differs for everyone in the firm).

Did anyone mentor you?
I attended a workshop about “professional careers for women” once. I remember there was an engineer there, and I thought it was so cool that she had VOLUNTEERED her time to come talk to us. Although I learned that engineering wasn’t for me, the experience stuck with me because of her generosity with her time. ACE is my chance to give back…to make an imprint on someone and to open their eyes to what is out there – something they might not have seen otherwise.

What advice do you have for students or parents of students who might be considering a career in the A/E/C industry?
1. For one, get involved with ACE
2. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity if you can, to learn how buildings go together and how different fields interrelate. Downcity Design is another program that is more geared toward construction and design.
3. Build a portfolio that will help you get into college. If you’re interested in architecture / art or design school, there are free (or low-cost) programs for high school students in Providence, like AS220 or New Urban Arts.

How can students learn more or sign up?
Visit the ACE website at http://acementor.org/