Preparing the Next Generation of Industry Leaders

November is National Career Development Month, but encouraging future engineers and designers is a year-round focus at HAWA. Whether it’s offering internships, participating in educational events and presentations, or being actively involved in the ACE Mentor Program, our team is deeply invested in helping prepare the next generation for careers in the industry.

The ACE Mentor Program is a free afterschool program designed to attract high school students into pursuing careers in the Architecture, Construction and Engineering industry. The program sees more than 10,000 students participate each year, mentored by more than 4,100 volunteer industry professionals, including some of our team at HAWA.

After almost a year and a half of work from home and hybrid class schedule, students and their mentors are able to meet in person again. This year marks the first year-long session at Northland High School, where we meet with the STEM Club twice a month during the school year. As mentors, we will guide the students through a simulation of designing and constructing a project; this year’s project is the redevelopment of Tamarack Circle, a recognizable site near Northland High School.

Students will be split into four groups, with each one responsible for redeveloping a quarter of the site. Although there are minimum program requirements, the students are encouraged to bring ideas to the project that they feel are a valuable need for their community. For the upcoming session, Corna Kokosing will provide a drone to help the students understand site constraints and visualize the future development.

If you are interested in participating in this incredible program, please reach out to me for more details.