Oregon

Portland

Portland

Contact ACE Portland

For students, mentors,
educators, applications,
and all other questions:

Mailing Address:
7100 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97206

ACE Staff

Kari Smith Haight
Program Manager
(503) 415-0579
Email ACE Oregon

Kristin King
Communications +
Program Manager
(503) 916-6582

Ready to Apply?

Complete BOTH:
1) The Paper Application
2) The Online Application

Application deadline:
November 16 at 5:00 pm

Important Dates in 2018

(subject to change)
ACE Golf Tournament: Sep. 17
2 Info sessions: Oct 3 & 25
Mentor Mixer: Nov 1
Mentor Confirmations: Nov 9
Student App due: Nov 16
Mentor Orientation: Dec 4 + 6
Selection notifications: Dec 10
2018 program starts: Jan 8 + 10
ACE Luncheon: April 17, 2019
Final Presentations: May 7 + 9
Mentor Appreciation: May 16

Download the
2018-19 Event Calendar

Forms

2018-19 Paper App
Parent Consent Form
Field Trip Permission Form
Terms of Scholarship Form
Scholarship Disbursement Form

Student Promo Materials

ACE Student Packet (all)
ACE Student Flyer
Why Join ACE
About ACE & FAQ

Mentor Promo Materials

ACE Mentor Packet
ACE Mentor Flyer

Media

2018 ACE Brochure
2018 Survey Results & Quotes
2018 ACE Luncheon Highlights
2017 ACE Brochure
2016 ACE Brochure
2016 Survey Results & Quotes
2015 ACE Brochure (letter size)
2015 Survey Results & Quotes
2015 ACE Year-End Highlights
2014 ACE Year-End Highlights

News

After-School Programs Enter Career-Tech Space
$80,000 in scholarships
2018 ACE Luncheon photos
4 students to Summer Camp
ACE awards $75,000
ACE leaders celebrate students
ACE celebrates 10 years
$100,000 collected for ACE
2015 Scholarship Press Release

Board of Directors
Our board is comprised of local industry leaders who make a significant contribution to our chapter. We are grateful for their continuing support.
2018-19 Board Members
2017-18 Board Members
2016-17 Board Members
2015-16 Board Members.

Follow ACE Oregon

Want to learn more about the ACE Luncheon, Golf Tournament, info sessions and more?
Visit our Events page here.

ACE is a FREE after-school program for high school juniors and seniors interested in Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE). Student teams collaborate on a building design project under the guidance of industry professionals. ACE also offers college scholarships for seniors and summer camp opportunities for juniors.

ACE STUDENTS gain valuable career skills, network with professionals, and explore ACE careers.

ACE MENTORS give back to their community, inspire the next generation, and attract new talent to the industry.

Our Program

Portland’s ACE program runs from January to May every year. Student applications and mentor recruitment start in Fall (August/September) and are usually due in late November (right before Thanksgiving). Acceptance notifications will be emailed in December.

Students are placed on a Tuesday or Thursday team with 10-15 students from different high schools and 7-10 mentors from a mix of architecture, construction, and engineering firms. Teams meet 12 times (once a week or once every two weeks) from 4:30-6:30 pm. Light meals are served at each meeting and supplies are provided. Prior experience and outside homework are not required. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from meetings.

Meetings are held in downtown Portland at ACE mentors’ offices and job sites. Students have the opportunity to visit multiple professional workplaces, learn how to network, and explore career paths within the ACE industry. Teams design a building together, and students present their projects to a large audience at the program finale in May.

In addition, seniors who complete the program are eligible for ACE scholarships, which they can apply toward higher education in an ACE-related field. Juniors in the program can apply for an all-expense-paid trip to the ACE West Regional Summer Camp.

Students

The ACE Mentor Program of Oregon is open to high school juniors and seniors near Portland. The junior and senior class standing is the only requirement. Outstanding sophomores are occasionally accepted if space is available. The application period opens at the beginning of the school year in fall. Any student meeting the class standing requirement and able to travel to the downtown Portland locations are welcome to apply.

Students must submit BOTH the Online and Paper Applications before the November 16 deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

Mentors

Are you an architecture, construction, or engineering professional?

Do you want to inspire youth to enter your industry?

Do you want to network and give back to your community?

Mentor volunteers are the lifeblood of our program. Each team of mentors is led by an experienced Mentor Captain. Mentors provide around 24 hours of volunteer time (twelve 2-hour meetings) and are not required to attend every session. There is no financial requirement to be an ACE mentor, though mentors with offices in or near downtown Portland often provide meeting space for an ACE session.

Meet past mentors and learn more about ACE before committing to be a mentor at our kick-off event on November 1st, the ACE Mentor Mixer. Confirmed mentors should register by November 9, 2018.

If you are interested in becoming an ACE mentor, please send ACE staff an email to be added to the mailing reminder list.

Our Team Project

In 2018, twelve teams designed a flexible “pop up concept” in the post office site in NW Portland. Students were asked to consider pedestrian flow, noise from traffic, and how the site could interact with the neighborhood and existing surroundings. Teams were also asked to focus on at least one main element of sustainability.

ACE Scholarships

Each year, the ACE Mentor Program offers scholarships to seniors who are committed to pursuing construction-related careers in college. In 2018, the ACE Mentor Program of Oregon awarded $80,000 in scholarships to 16 seniors and sent 4 juniors to the ACE West Regional Summer Camp. See our Scholarships page for more info.

History

The ACE Mentor program is a national non-profit organization. ACE’s Portland branch (the ACE Mentor Program of Oregon) was founded in 2006 by local architecture, construction, and engineering professionals. In our first year, 28 mentor volunteers served a small group of 27 students from 6 high schools.

Since then, Portland’s ACE program has experienced remarkable growth. In 2018, 51 firms provided 120 mentors for 142 students from 38 high schools. ACE Oregon has also awarded more than half a million dollars in college scholarships to students who are entering ACE-related careers.

We host several large events in Portland each year, including the annual ACE Luncheon in April and ACE Golf Tournament. Visit our Events page for more info.