By Sakshi Singh, M.ASCE, and Lara Zerbe, Ph.D.
Each year, more than 14,000 high school students take part in the ACE Mentor Program of America. The nonprofit organization, headquartered in Philadelphia, was created to inspire young people to explore careers in architecture, engineering, construction, and related fields. ACE introduces students to the industry while helping build a better-prepared future workforce.
Charles H. Thornton, P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, founding principal of Thornton Tomasetti, established ACE in 1994 along with a handful of firms in order to mentor local students. Modeled after real design and construction teams, the program demonstrates workflows, collaboration, and the roles of AEC professionals. The program is supported annually by more than 5,000 volunteer professionals from numerous firms across the country. Originally focused on high school students, ACE has since broadened its impact through the Transformative Partners Program, which helps ACE alumni throughout their postsecondary education and into the workforce.
Thornton envisioned a program that would remove barriers and create early access to the AEC profession, and that vision continues to shape our firm’s culture today. Supporting the ACE program aligns with Thornton Tomasetti’s commitment to education, mentorship, and long-term investment in the industry’s future.
Currently, more than 90 Thornton Tomasetti employees serve as mentors across 18 office locations. Employees can log up to half of their mentoring hours as paid time. In 2024 alone, our colleagues contributed approximately 2,800 volunteer hours. In addition, for more than 30 years Thornton Tomasetti has served as a national ACE program sponsor and has provided local scholarships and internship opportunities to support students as they pursue careers in the industry.
While the scale of the ACE Mentor Program is impressive, its impact is best illustrated through the experiences of its students and mentors. Jennifer Greenawalt, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, a Thornton Tomasetti associate, was one of four students in her high school to join the ACE program. During her junior year, a local structural engineer was invited in as a guest speaker and made a big impression on Greenawalt. “I just remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s what I want to do. That’s it,’” she said. Greenawalt, in turn, became an ACE mentor herself, and she currently serves as board president of the organization’s Washington, D.C., affiliate.
Many mentors join ACE with a desire to give back and provide students with the kind of exposure they wish they had received early in their own career paths. “One of my goals in joining ACE was to inspire young students, especially those from underrepresented groups, to pursue careers in engineering,” explained ACE mentor Elena Poludnitcyna, a senior engineer in Thornton Tomasetti’s Chicago office.
“Being the only woman in my graduating class and having no one to look up to discouraged me from working in the industry. I eventually found my way back to engineering, and I love what I do, but it made me think about how many students have the same experience. As an ACE mentor, I hope to help kids feel more comfortable in STEM knowing there are people in the industry just like them and to show them how interesting engineering can be,” Poludnitcyna explained.
Through weekly and monthly sessions, students engage in a mix of technical presentations, hands-on activities, and open discussions about education and career options. These sessions are designed to reflect project environments and to encourage teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. For some of the more than 70 affiliates, this includes a hybrid model that combines virtual guest speaker sessions with in-person classes.
During these sessions, students apply what they’ve learned to design projects, which leads up to a year-end competition. To keep students engaged, interactive activities and friendly competitions are incorporated into in-person sessions, often with prizes that reinforce collaboration and creativity. These approaches help simplify technical concepts while fostering a fun and supportive learning environment.
As mentors ourselves, we know that this work to help others through ACE can strengthen us professionally. The act of teaching best practices, such as effective collaboration, meeting organization, and clear communication, helps reinforce our skills as engineers. Over time, mentoring has improved our presentation abilities, leadership confidence, and adaptability, all of which translates directly into our daily work.
What continues to motivate us is watching the students grow. Many begin the program unsure of their direction. Seeing their excitement as they learn new concepts, hearing their questions about college and career paths, and watching their confidence develop over multiple years is incredibly rewarding. Our advice to prospective mentors is simple: Join with an open mind and a genuine willingness to guide young people. By investing our time and experience, we are helping shape the next generation of AEC professionals, while gaining much in return.
Sakshi Singh, M.ASCE, is a senior project engineer in Thornton Tomasetti’s Fort Lauderdale office and board president of the ACE Mentor Broward County, Florida, affiliate.
Lara Zerbe, Ph.D., is a project engineer in the firm’s Houston office and a mentor with the local ACE affiliate.
This article first appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of Civil Engineering as “Mentoring the Next Generation of Leaders.”
For more information on the ACE Mentor Program of America, visit its website. And if you have a story about giving back, email us at [email protected].
