Last night I served as a panelist at the Ace Mentoring Program’s final presentations. ACE Mentoring is a non-profit, volunteer based mentor organization that pairs high school students interested in architecture, construction, and engineering with professionals in the industry. The final presentations offer an opportunity for the students to present their semester’s work to a panel of industry professionals.
It was impressive to see how much work these groups of high school students produced over the course of a semester. In addition to structural calculations and MEP layouts, what stood out most were the small, experiential design moments each team chose to discuss with the panel. It was clear that they were creating spaces with the end-users in mind. One student talked poetically about snow lightly falling through an oculus they designed for a courtyard. It was wonderful to see that level of care and thoughtfulness in their work so early in their careers.
In giving my closing remarks, I expressed the idea that the world needs more designers; more solvers of problems. These students are in line to fill those shoes, and I’m looking forward to seeing their future work, and what the next group of ACE mentees puts together.
If you are interested in learning more about ACE, the annual Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Industry Networking Event will be held this year on March 24th. ACE will once again be welcoming Mayor Martin Walsh as a special guest speaker for the event, which brings members of the architecture, construction, and engineering community together to socialize, network, and raise money for scholarships for students entering the next phase of their education.
Topics: Culture, leadership, Events