ACE Cleveland Recognizes Student Achievements
ACE Cleveland Program Awards $113,500 and Receives $100,000 from Construction Employers Association for Students with Interest in Construction, Architecture and Engineering
By Montrie Rucker Adams, APR, Visibility Marketing Inc.
The banquet hall at Windows on the River was filled with pride, anticipation and excitement as students participating in the Architecture, Construction, Engineering Mentor Program of America (ACE), presented on the Cleveland Cultural Garden Visitor Center and Gateway, which they worked on over this school year, 20 students from six CMSD high schools received $113,500 in scholarships to further their interests and college education.
ACE is a national not-for-profit organization formed in 2002, that partners high school students with mentors in the construction industry. ACE Cleveland was started in 2008. Their bi-weekly meetings are designed to introduce the students to the design and construction industry and the available career opportunities.
Parents, students, mentors, funders, alumni and friends gathered to show their support and offer encouragement as students gave team presentations and received scholarship awards.
Schools that presented were Collinwood, John Hay, Max Hays, New Tech West, New Tech East and Rhodes.
Cash prizes totaling $5,000 went to first, second and third place teams. The first place scholarship award of $2,500 went to John Hay. The second place award of $1,500 went to students attending New Tech West and $1,000 for third place went to students at James Rhodes. The reactor panel included Joann Brown- CASE, Chris Roynane- University Circle and India Pierce Lee - Cleveland Foundation.
Construction Employers Association (CEA), announced a $100,000 endowment to the Cleveland Foundation to support the ACE Cleveland program. This award is part of CEA's Centennial Celebration. “We put our money where our mouth is,” said Don Dreier, acting Chairman of the CEA’s Board of Directors and Executive Vice President of Donley’s Inc. “Our $100,000 donation shows that we believe in the students and the results that we’ve seen from their participation in the ACE Mentoring Program,” he offered.
Other highlights were the 20 students receiving individual scholarship awards. Recipients received scholarships from $500 to $12.500, which were one-time or annual renewable.
The $113,500 was a combination of contributions from companies and organizations including the Cleveland Foundation, University Hospitals, the National Association of Women in Construction, Regency Construction Services, Gilbane Building Company, Donley’s Construction, Independence Excavating, Shook Construction, Construction Employers Association, Carpenters Association of Cleveland, CT Consultants, Cleveland State University, Geis Foundation, AIA Cleveland Chapter, College Now and Kent State University.
Kendale King is an ACE Cleveland alumni, John Hay and Cleveland State University graduate. He awarded a $1,000 annual scholarship award to Robert Moore. Kendale is an Auditor for Deloitte and earned a Master’s in Accountancy. Moore attends John Hay and plans to study film.
In addition to Moore, the individual scholarship winners were: Selena Gomez, James Rhodes: Tori Airaksinen, John Hay; Miracle Carter, John Hay; Jordan Dean, John Hay; Raekwon Brown, John Hay; Alexandria Williams, James Rhodes; Zachary Clemons, James Rhodes; Alexander Morales, John Hay; Khayree Davis, John Hay; Raymond Robinson, John Hay; Avishkar Etwaroo, John Hay; David Tibbetts, James Rhodes; Jarett Theberge, James Rhodes; Carlos Vidal, New Tech West; Joseph Bowmen, New Tech East; Cesar Garcia, New Tech West; Phillip Roberson, John Hay; Jesus Ruiz, James Rhodes; and Jordan Davis, John Hay.
ACE’s mission is to engage, excite and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and to support their continued advancement in the industry. ACE not only engages sponsors and volunteer mentors to expose students to real-world opportunities, it financially supports each student’s continued success through scholarships and grants.
Since inception, nationally ACE has awarded over $15 million in scholarships to promising participants.
Tom Laird (Gilbane Building Company), Diana Eidenshink (ACE Mentor Program of America), and Eric Gordon (Cleveland Metropolitan School District)
Since 2008, the Cleveland affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program has partnered with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and now features seven teams totaling nearly 150 students at the John Hay School of Architecture and Design, James F. Rhodes High School, New Tech East, New Tech West, Max Hayes High School and Collinwood. More than 70 local firms from the design, engineering, and construction industry have provided volunteers to assist with the program. Students have been exposed to diverse elements of the Cleveland construction community including visits to University Hospitals, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Chas E. Phipps, and the Global Center for Health Innovation and Cleveland Convention Center construction sites; office visits to the Cuyahoga County Engineer’s Office, PSI, and Gardiner Trane; walking architectural tours of University Circle; and design charrettes at the Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative; as well as additional support from the Cleveland Engineering Society.
The ACE chapter has awarded nearly 100 scholarships totaling $450,000 in the past seven years, students also are provided mentors while students and in college and have opportunities for paid internships.
Melissa Caudaro, a 2013 James Rhodes graduate, shared her experience with the ACE program is one that she will never forget. “The mentors in the ACE program are the biggest asset,” she said, “because, just like the students, they each have individual areas that they're knowledgeable in. The mentors were always there to offer guidance and advice, not just about the project we were working on, but about life beyond high school.”
Melissa received $9,000 from ACE. She attended/graduated from and now works for Cleveland State University which is one of four ACE Cleveland college partners along with TRI-C, Kent State and University of Akron who provide matching scholarships.
When asked about the benefits she received from the ACE program, Melissa said it made her realize her leadership potential. “The program helped mold me into the driven, out-going, organized and responsible leader I am today. It was the leadership and drive that ACE instilled in me that led me to graduate from a four-year University in just two and a half years at the age of 20. The generous scholarship I received from ACE and College Now made me realize I had a group of people that supported me and were waiting to watch me succeed. It was because of them that I became the first person in my family to receive a college degree.”
ACE is seeking participants and sponsors for the AIA Sandcastle & Volleyball Competition held August 6 at Edgewater Park and the ACE Golf Outing on August 16. The New ACE Mentor Recruitment Breakfast is scheduled for August 25, 2016.
For more information on ACE, visit www.acementor.org or contact Glen Shumate- ACE Executive Director at [email protected].