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Two THS Students Win ACE Scholarships

Scholarship winners to pursue engineering careers

After its first year in place at , the not only has helped two students to solidify their career goals but also provided them with some financial assistance toward their college tuition.

THS seniors Olivia Logan and Luisa Toro were awarded $250 and $2,000, respectively, from the ACE Mentor Program to further their studies in their chosen field of engineering.

ACE stands for architecture, construction and engineering and is an after-school program that pairs students with professionals in these related fields. The THS students who joined ACE in November met weekly and worked on a project under the supervision of the professionals

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The students presented their project – a “super, ultra, mega” version of Dave & Buster’s restaurant and arcade – in March at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

OLIVIA LOGAN, $250 Scholarship Recipient

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Logan said the ACE Mentor Program made it clear for her that a career in engineering was what she wanted to pursue at the University of Maryland-College Park.  

She said finding time for the program was a little tough because of her basketball schedule, but she was pleased that the program put her in contact with people she may not have interacted with otherwise. She said the program also helped her to get over her fear of public speaking because during the final presentation she had to discuss the project in front of others.

“My parents thought the program was great, and they encouraged me to apply even though we didn’t know how playing basketball and participation in the program would work out, but it did,” Logan said.

Logan said she has received a few other scholarships from different community organizations. And besides basketball, she said she enjoys going on Facebook, shopping and traveling.

“With a demanding academic schedule, I feel it’s important to balance that with social time,” she said.

LUISA TORO, $2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Toro said the ACE Mentor Program gave her the opportunity to meet other students who shared her interests. It also gave her insight into a career in civil engineering, even though she was thinking about pursuing another career.

“I wanted to be an architect, but my family didn’t like the field and preferred for me to follow a career path in civil engineering,” Toro said. “I thought that with ACE I would be able to see for myself which career was better for me. Thanks to ACE I was able to see close up what each career is made of, and I decided that for me the best career path is civil engineering.”

Toro said she hoped to attend NJIT in the fall, but because of financial reasons, she’ll attend Bergen Community College for a year and then transfer.

In her spare time, Toro said she likes to work with kids. She’s volunteered at various school programs that assisted children with special needs, as well as with other service projects that involved working with youth.

“The reason why I love working with children is because they are the future of our country, and we should always try to lead them in the right direction,” Toro said. 

Throughout the year, Toro said she tried to explain to her mother what the ACE program was all about, but because her mother doesn’t understand English, Toro said her mother never fully grasped the whole concept of the program.

“But when she saw our final presentation, she finally understood what ACE was all about,” Toro said. “She was really proud of our group for doing such an outstanding project.”

A SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR

The ACE Mentor Program came to THS thanks to Teaneck resident Therise Edwards, who in October contacted then-Interim Superintendent of Schools Barbara Pinsak to discuss the program. Edwards' daughter was involved with an ACE program in New York City.

Yvonne Witter, who is an employment counselor at THS, supervised the ACE program. She said she expects the program to continue next year. She even has a short list of students who’ve already expressed interest in joining the program in the fall.

Witter said the program is inexpensive because the students utilize equipment at the school, and the mentors volunteer their time.

“We’re on the radar now with the national ACE program, so identifying mentors for next year shouldn’t be a problem,” said Witter.

Witter said the ACE Mentor Program helps students gain networking experience, as well as a perspective on what a career in architecture, construction and engineering would be like.  She said the program at THS started with 20 students and ended with 16. She said three students left because of time constraints, and one left because he realized he wasn't interested in these types of careers. 

“At first, a student dropping out may sound like a bad thing, but this program was meant to help students identify if this was a type of industry they wanted to go into,” Witter said. “So, it was successful in that sense because that student realized these professions weren’t for him. It will save him time and money because he made this decision before starting college.”

Pinsak, who is now superintendent of Teaneck Public Schools, said the ACE program is a perfect example of the type of experience the town seeks to provide for its students.

“Our students were exposed to the careers of architecture, construction and engineering by working weekly and after school with mentors from the industries,” Pinsak said. “This has been a wonderful model for us. We want to continue the program next year and to seek other opportunities that will be both educational for our students and cost effective for our community.”

For more information about the ACE Mentor Program, contact Yvonne Witter at 201-862-1200 ext. 6283 or at ywitter@teaneckschools.org.

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