Thirty-two local high school students recently gathered at Urban Engineers’ Philadelphia office to participate in the Architectural Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program of Eastern Pennsylvania.

The program, founded in 2000, gives students an opportunity to learn more about potential careers in architecture, engineering, and construction from experienced professionals of leading building industry firms.

From November through May, the program meets every other week from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the offices of the team’s mentors. Typically, students work in teams to pursue a range of informative and stimulating after-school activities, including field trips to “in-progress” construction sites, discussions with project managers, tours of professional offices, and more. In addition, each team works on a project that addresses “real-life” situations and issues.

Five individuals from Philadelphia-area firms led this meeting, including Urban’s Kevin Brown, Jr., EIT, a Transportation Construction Supervisor who is currently working in the Girard – Port Richmond community of Philadelphia. Brown is in his third year of volunteering for the program. Once a participant himself, he credits his own success with having a mentor every step of the way, “volunteering for this program allows me to give back and never forget where I came from,” Brown said.