ACE: Constructing a valuable mentorship program

When the late Charles H. Thornton, an NYU Tandon alumnus and a revered figure in the world of structural engineering, published his memoir, A Life of Elegant Solutions, in 2014, he wrote: "Engineering, at its core, is about shaping the future .... It is through our collective efforts that we have the power to create structures that not only stand tall but also stand as reminders of human ingenuity." He believed just as strongly in shaping the future through mentorship, and the nonprofit  he founded in 1994, the ACE Mentor Program, now helps more than 12,000 high school students and distributes millions of dollars in scholarship funds every year (a total of almost $40 million since its inception).

Aimed at introducing students to potential careers in Architecture, Construction, and Engineering, ACE is made up of local affiliates, each of which has a board of directors, professional staff, program leaders, and a number of student teams. The founding affiliate, ACE Greater NY, initially consisted of just three teams with 90 students in 1994 — a number that has grown to more than 50 teams servicing 1,900 students in 2024.  The teams — whose student members are recruited from local high schools, with mentors from local architecture, engineering, and contracting firms — meet regularly from November through May, to work on a multidisciplinary project.

NYU can be described as all-in with the ACE Mentor Program. Team 12 is based at NYU Tandon and co-led by Industry Professor of Civil and Urban Engineering Lawrence Chiarelli and Andrew Franceschina, an Associate Engineer at Loring Consulting Engineers. Both Larry and Linda Chiarelli, who is Senior Vice President of NYU Capital Projects and Facilities, serve on the ACE Greater NY Executive Board as Vice-Chairs of the Higher Education and Owners Committees, respectively.  

So, what does it mean to be on an ACE Mentor team?  “We brainstorm at the beginning and decide what type of problem the students are interested in tackling,” explains Matthew Esmaelzada, a Senior Project Manager in the NYU Office of Construction Management and a  Team 12 mentor who got involved in the program at the urging of his supervisor Kenny Lee, himself a longtime volunteer. “Maybe they care most about low-income housing, or they might want to explore how the built environment can help combat food insecurity. The important thing, no matter what issue they pick, is that they get to see how the skills they’re learning in their math and physics classes can actually help them make a real-world impact.”

Once a problem is pinpointed and a hypothetical building site is selected, the 25 or so students who’ve opted to be part of Team 12 break into smaller groups — focused on either architecture; construction management; civil, structural, mechanical or electrical engineering; or another mentor specialty — depending on their interests and career goals.

Mentors like Esmaelzada introduce them to industry vocabulary, career possibilities, and the plethora of factors that go into a successful building initiative, and their ultimate goal is to complete a project that can be presented to other teams, their families, teachers, prospective mentors, and program leaders at the end of the year.

It’s a significant investment in time and energy. The students travel to Tandon from their respective high schools after classes, making for a long day (although Professor Chiarelli makes sure that there are ample drinks and snacks available; he has, he says, gotten exceptionally familiar with the layout of Costco). The same time and energy commitment holds true for the mentors. Co-team leader Franceschina commutes to Brooklyn for meetings from his midtown office after the close of what can be an intense workday. Devoting his time to such a worthy endeavor is well worth it though, he asserts. “It’s easy to give money; it takes under a minute to write a check,” he says, “but there’s nothing like actually volunteering and seeing firsthand the difference you’re making. Even if only one student in any given year decides to seriously lean in and pursue a career path in the building sector, that’s very gratifying.”

Esmaelzada concurs. “Obviously we love it when a participant announces their decision to become an architect, civil engineer, or construction manager,” he says. “But if they ultimately decide against it, ACE is still a valuable experience. We’re teaching them to see the big picture, collaborate, and problem-solve — important abilities no matter what they end up pursuing.” (And from Professor Chiarelli’s perspective, it’s even better if they decide to come to NYU Tandon.)

If students do decide to further explore the possibilities of a construction-related career, there are few better places than ACE to make connections. It can seem, at times, as though almost everyone in the group’s sprawling network knows almost everyone else — Franceschina, for example, was coaxed into volunteering after his company consulted on the renovation of a floor in Rogers Hall, and he met Chiarelli and others on Team 12 during the process — and most mentors have tales of fortuitous meetings and projects. (Franceschina was recently working on an initiative with the New York City School Construction Authority, only to discover that the project manager was an ACE alum.)

Chiarelli stresses that after ACE participants have established themselves professionally, many come back to volunteer as mentors, arrange field trips to building sites, and offer internship and job opportunities: in fact, 10 percent of ACE of Greater NY’s mentors are alums. “It’s always nice to see those full-circle moments,” he says.

Sue Veres Royal, Executive Director of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater NY adds, “Our relationship with NYU Tandon is very special.  Not only does Team 12 have incredible mentors for our students, but it allows students to see and feel a college campus, get to know industry professionals and professors, and remove some of the intimidation surrounding the unknown of going to college.  Larry has been incredibly generous, even inviting students from other teams to sit in his classes. This allows students to envision themselves being a part of a college community, and for many of our students who will be the first generation in their families to attend college, that peek behind the curtain is invaluable.”

Marcos Diaz Gonzales, Executive Vice President of STV, and Chairperson of the ACE Mentor Program of Greater NY, states “The ACE Mentor Program of Greater New York is one of the cornerstones of our industry’s civic engagement with the next generation. It provides a meaningful mentoring experience to high school students interested in our professions, and leadership and networking opportunities to our mentors and alumni.” 

A living example of the power of ACE

Describing Ifrita Shajedeen accurately is a tall order: graduate of the highly selective Brooklyn Technical High School, Tandon Civil Engineering student (with minors in construction management and sustainable urban environments), ASCE eBoard member and presidential candidate, member of NYU Tandon’s Concrete Canoe team, recipient of the inaugural Victoria Cerami ACE GNY Gumption Scholarship, NYC Department of Buildings intern, research assistant at the Center for Urban Science + Progress’s Remote Sensing Lab, Junior Project Manager at the planning and compliance firm NERIS, market research analyst intern at AI start-up Runopt ... the list could go on. 

It follows that even a cursory glance at her CV, is something of an awe-inspiring exercise, given the lengthy lists of certifications (ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I, NSPS Certified Surveying Technician Level I, OSHA 40 Construction, and Revit ACU, to name just a sampling), languages spoken (four at last count), and extracurriculars (from the Construction Management Association of America student chapter to the Stern Real Estate Club to Women in Business & Entrepreneurship.) 

But among all those positions, skills, and honors, one factor stands out — while in high school, Shajedeen spent three years participating in ACE. Similarly, one theme runs throughout her personal and academic journey: mentorship. In addition to having an engaged cadre of mentors, as all ACE students do, she has been a mentor herself, working with middle schoolers while at Brooklyn Tech and exploring STEM topics with even younger students at an elementary school in Chinatown, thanks to a program run by the New York Academy of Sciences. 

She is looking forward to the day when she has embarked on her career and can volunteer as an ACE industry mentor — one of those full-circle moments Chiarelli referred to.

“I grew up in East New York, so I’ve always been interested in making urban areas more livable,” she says. “I knew a way to do that would be to get involved in building sustainable, resilient infrastructure, and ACE solidified my goals. I’m always going to be grateful for the program, and I’m always going to be involved in it.”