Nearly 150 Portland-area high school students participated in the ACE Mentor Program of Oregon this year. Here’s a sampler of what local seniors had to say in a recent national survey about their experience:
- 70% of seniors felt that ACE made them more motivated to go to college or enter a skilled trades training program.
- 96% of seniors said they gained knowledge and skills not taught in their high school.
- 96% of seniors said they learned how to work better with people whose backgrounds and ideas are different from their own.
The ACE Mentor Program is a 12-week, in-depth program that gives students the chance to work with practicing professionals from the fields of architecture, construction and engineering. This spring, the Oregon chapter of ACE awarded a record $64,000 in college scholarships to 16 graduating seniors.
Here are some quotes from the students themselves:
- “Working with real professionals is something that can’t be beat.”
- “This was a great opportunity for me to get hands-on experience in the industry. The overall experience gave me more confidence.”
- “ACE has been a very fun and informative experience, both years I did it. It has given me a lot of experience in teamwork and what the professional world looks like.”
- “I greatly enjoyed this program and it has opened my eyes to careers I had no idea I would have an interest in.”
The nonprofit ACE Mentor Program of Oregon is a special partner of PWA. Read a May news release about the scholarship winners or see our 2015 year-end flyer about the program and Oregon students served. Please visit ACE’s Oregon website for more information.
