Boston, MA ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston, the free after-school program run by design and construction professionals with the goal of encouraging high school students to pursue careers in the architecture, construction and engineering industries, will host the 8th annual ACE Networking Event on June 9th, at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter.
Despite the pandemic, ACE awarded $142,000 in scholarships to 16 dedicated, high school seniors this year. Varying from $2,000 to $15,000, the scholarships awarded to participating seniors aim to help fund their next educational venture. ACE mentors and partners continued to refine the remote learning model during the 2021-2022 year, with 135 students studied their desired professions through a virtual design and mentoring program. However, this year, in the fall of 2022, ACE will return to in-person sessions.
As a non-profit organization, 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 the next five years, making Boylston Properties the official “Presenting Sponsor” of the welcomed return to an in-person ACE Networking Event in 2022.
“Without the support of our industry sponsors, both as funders and as mentors, ACE would not be able to provide our students with this enrichment or reach the milestones that we have in recent years,” said Jennifer Fries, executive director of ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston. “We could not be more grateful for the longstanding relationship and continuous support from Boylston Properties.”
“ACE is one of the very few organizations in the Greater Boston area providing an education to public high school students in contracting and trade work, as well as professional careers in architecture, construction management, and engineering,” said Bill McQuillan, principal founder of Boylston Properties. “It’s become evident college is not attainable for everyone and we firmly believe students in local public and charter schools should be afforded the opportunity to learn about the full range of well-paid career options within our industry.”
The mission of 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 2021, a record-breaking number of students received paying jobs – 15 to be exact.
