CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Local students focused on the future have an early opportunity to consider career goals thanks to a mentoring program in Charlotte.
How old were you when you finally figured out what you wanted to be when you grew up?
More than a hundred area high school students are getting a jump on that question thanks to a program that pairs them with Charlotte mentors.
Teens from five Charlotte high schools willingly made a visit to a boarded up mall, after school, on their own time. But they have good reason; it’s called the ACE Mentor Program.
ACE is a mentoring program for students interested in architecture, construction, and engineering.
Through the program, those students are paired up with community professionals.
“I really want to be an architect when I grow up and ACE really helped me decide that in choosing my career,” says Independence High senior Ali Robbins.
“It’s just really a chance to open windows see some things out there,” says mentor Heth Kendrick.
“ACE really gives me a chance to explore the field of engineering and how it ties into our life and everything and it's a good way to get acquainted with the field,” says Independence High junior Allen Wooten.
The yearlong project they're beginning to tackle is reimagining the Eastland Mall.
Considering everything from interior design to landscape and engineering, the students will present proposals at the end of the school year.
“You can sit around and talk about something,” Wooten says. “When you come out here, it makes all the difference.”
