ACE Mentor Program of Greater Hartford, CT

Founded in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1998 as the nation’s second ACE affiliate, ACE Mentor Program of Connecticut, Inc., now has student teams in five major Connecticut cities (Greater Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford and Waterbury). Each offers an after-school program that helps students explore career opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering.

Established initially to attract minorities and women, our program has expanded and become more diverse, thanks to corporate support from Connecticut design and construction firms.

Since its first year with 20 students from one high school, the program has grown to five chapters throughout the state, attracting more than 250 students from 39 high schools. Approximately 100 industry professionals from 69 building industry professional firms serve as team mentors. These mentors guide their teams through a range of activities, including tours of construction jobsites and professional offices, lectures by expert speakers and other industry-related learning activities. In addition, each team undertakes a project related to a “real-world” situation.