91视频

Ninety high school students in the Portland-metro area are learning firsthand what it’s like to work in a range of professions in the building industry as part of the 2012 ACE Mentor Program of Oregon.

Nationally, the has paired up more than 60,000 students with architects, engineers and contractors.

Locally, this year’s program boasts 60 volunteer mentors who are working with students from more than 30 area high schools in after-school sessions. During the sessions, held in the offices of local firms from the building industry, students work in small groups with their mentors on real-life projects that teach them how buildings and spaces are designed, engineered and constructed.

During the next few weeks, 91视频 readers will have a chance to look over the shoulders of six of the students and one mentor, through their own words and pictures, as they make their way through the program.

What’s your name and age?

Bryan Condon, age 29

What’s your role with the ACE Mentor Program?

I am a mentor for Team 8, which will be working on a coffee shop as its project.

Where do you work?

I am a civil engineer for Century West Engineering here in Portland.

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

Definitely. I am a pinball wizard.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I do not own an iPhone.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I regularly volunteer with different groups in Portland. I also enjoy backpacking, reading and seeing all kinds of live music.

Why did you decide to get involved in the ACE Mentor Program?

I’m interested in getting involved with education, particularly teaching high school students about engineering before they make the decision to start studying the subject at the university level.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the ACE Mentor Program?

I’m looking to gain experience working with teens, but also with peers in different disciplines within the world of architecture/construction/engineering.

Who are you?

My name is Sidney Greenslate, and I’m 17 years old.

Do you have any nicknames?

Most people call me Sid, although I’ve been called stranger things in the past. Sid the Squid, Stitch 鈥� but I prefer Sid.

Where do you go to school, and what year are you in?

I go to Wilson High School as a junior.

What are your plans after high school?

I’d like to study architecture at Portland State University, and hopefully become either a residential architect or a real estate agent in the future.

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

I sew clothes and weave in my spare time. I also practice archery every now and again.

Otherwise, I really enjoy slam poetry, and I’m currently trying to get a good repertoire of poetry to present some day.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I really love public speaking. Most people think I’m crazy, but I enjoy it. I’ve even spoken at some fairly large events (200-plus people).

Which class is your favorite? Which class do you like the least?

I enjoy English, as I like to write and read classic literature. However, my favorite class that I’ve ever taken was a digital media design class at my high school last year where I got to work with Photoshop and InDesign.

My least favorite class, unfortunately, has to be (Advanced Placement) economics. I don’t doubt its importance, don’t get me wrong,聽but I have a hard time getting my brain to think economically.

What聽extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I fence foil twice a week, and I also take a Zumba dance class twice a week. I’d like to become a Zumba instructor when I turn 18.

In the spring I’ll be starting my second season on our school’s Dragonboat team. Otherwise, I occasionally volunteer at the Rebuilding Center and the Oregon Food Bank.

Why did you decide to get involved with ACE?

The idea that I’ve wanted a career in architecture has always been more a hypothesis to me than anything else 鈥� an educated guess based on how I perceive my surroundings and my concept of beauty. I think this program will give me some definite evidence about if this is the right choice for me.

Additionally, ACE just seemed to have everything a wannabe-architect would want. Professional mentors, visits to real firms, a realistic project assignment and聽free pizza? It was too good of an offer for me to pass up. I’m thirsty for every bit of architecture experience I can get before college, and I think ACE will really satiate that.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the program?

I’d like to take away a final product that I’m proud to have been a part of: a building that is beautiful, functional, and most importantly, feasible. It’ll be something I’ll want in my portfolio, which is really exciting.

I hope to gain more experience working with diverse groups as both a leader and a follower, and learn what kind of dynamics I should work on if I want to make it in the architecture field.

Additionally, I want to make some friends, some memories, and see some really cool parts of Portland that I wouldn’t normally see. Maybe, if I’m really lucky, I’ll have some connections in the field when I get out of college.

And lastly, I’d like to take away a new聽perspective聽on the world and the buildings around me. I’d like to look at a house or a building and be able to know a little about how it might have been designed or made, the idea that I could look around and see my city’s structures as not just functions, but pieces with a purpose and a goal to those who interact with them. In other words, to gain an architect’s eyes. I would really love that.

Who are you?

Hi, I’m Meryl Kruskopf, and I’m 18 years old (yeah, voting privileges!).

Do you have any nicknames?

No, not really.

Where do you go to school, and what year are you in?

I go to Grant High School in Northeast Portland, and I’m a senior.

What are your plans after high school?

I just finished the long, yet rewarding process of applying to colleges with the long-term goal of majoring in environmental engineering. I love the outdoors and I enjoy problem solving, so I hope to enter a career that redesigns infrastructure and industrial processes so they are more compatible with the natural world. In the long, long term I’d like to open my own bakery, but that’s a dream that sort of hovers in the misty fog of the future.

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

In those rare moments of free time you would find me ironing together plastic bags (LDPE 4) to create purses, reusable grocery bags, wallets or my current undertaking, a large Willy Wonka-style top hat.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I’m a fairly quiet person on the surface. I play the clarinet and spend the occasional quiet evening knitting by the fireplace. With this image in mind it might surprise you that my favorite type of music is heavy metal. My favorite bands include Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Black Keys, Audioslave and Godsmack.

Which class is your favorite? Which class do you like the least?

My favorite class I’ve ever taken in high school is (Advanced Placement) Chemistry. I had an awesome chemistry teacher, and we got to blow stuff up (while learning the concepts behind the molecular world of course).

My least favorite class was U.S. History. Not only did I have a teacher that would get lost in the world of Youtube, wasting most of the class time, but as much as I love our American ideals of freedom, liberty, etc., American history is quite depressing. The misunderstandings, corruption, wars, discrimination and greed really got to me. I guess the most important thing to remember is that there are still many problems like those rooted in our culture today and it’s our responsibility to try make our country a little better than before.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I’m currently two weeks into the build season for FIRST Robotics. We have six weeks to design, build and test a robot that can play the game. This year the game involves moving over a ramp to the other side of the field where the robot shoots hoops.

I’m also on my school’s Nordic ski team. As spring gets closer, Ultimate Frisbee and co-ed soccer will begin.

Why did you decide to get involved with ACE?

Environmental engineering is closely tied to civil engineering, which is one of the areas that the ACE program addresses. Also, you never know if you don’t like something until you try it, and ACE was a great way to get a taste of careers that I hadn’t really considered before.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the program?

I’m hoping to find out whether or not I’m interested in the construction industry. I’m also hoping to make new contacts and meet new people 鈥� both students and mentors 鈥� who share similar interests. I’m also excited to learn from the bottom-up how to design and construct a building.

When I think about everything that goes into a building 鈥� the structure, heating, water and electrical systems 鈥� and look at the magnitude at which these systems have to be constructed, it seems impossible that we were ever capable of creating something where all these components work together flawlessly. I feel seeing the process step by step is going to be really eye-opening.

Who are you?

Megan Mueller, 17

Do you have any nicknames?

Nope

Where do you go to school, and what year are you in?

I am a junior at West Linn High School

What are your plans after high school?

I am interested in all different kinds of careers. My dream job would be to own a famous cake shop and make cakes for the rest of my life, but more realistically I want to work as an architect or engineer for Disney and help them create theme parks and rides. I love the themes and design aspects of Disney, and I would love to be an 鈥淚magineer.鈥�

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

I have played the piano for 12 years, and I love to just sit down and play whatever piece is within reach.

I also love to make and decorate cakes. I have taken a few classes and I make cakes for events here and there. I am also really good at balancing a spoon on my nose.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I love burned popcorn, and I try to microwave popcorn a little over time so it is a little burned, but doesn’t stink up the house 鈥β� sometimes that doesn’t work too well.

I am also addicted to musicals and have watched many over and over again. I hope to see all of the musicals on stage someday. I have seen a good amount as of right now.

Which class is your favorite? Which class do you like the least?

I really enjoy humanities because we talk about some really interesting topics and I think about things in a new way.

I have always loved Spanish class, and this year I took a law class, which was really fun as well. The law class was a kind of tryout for mock trial and I got on that team, so it is really fun right now.

(Advanced Placement) calculus and AP chem are probably not my most favorite classes, but I do enjoy math and chemistry by themselves. These are just harder and not as fun.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I am on my school’s mock trial team and am very involved with that. I am also on my church’s council board; I represent the youth along with one other teenager. I am on my school’s equestrian team and ride my horse three to four times a week. I help out in my school’s tutor center a couple times a month, and I play co-ed soccer. I also am on our school’s 鈥渓ink crew,鈥� a team of juniors and seniors that help freshmen get used to high school.

Why did you decide to get involved with ACE?

I am really interested in engineering and architecture, so when I saw this opportunity I knew that I had to get involved. I don’t know much about these fields and I thought this would be a good chance to learn all about the different types of architecture, engineering and construction options.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the program?

I hope to have a better understanding of each field of study and maybe come away thinking that I would really want to do something or even that I would not want to do something. It would be nice to learn that I didn’t like something before I spend a lot of time studying it. I also want to meet some people that are interested in the things that I am interested in.

Who are you?

My name is Taylor Spencer, and I am 17 years old.

Do you have any nicknames?

My dad calls me Picklehead. I hate pickles.

Where do you go to school, and what year are you in?

I’m a senior at Milwaukie High School.

What are your plans after high school?

Next year I will most likely be attending Seattle University. At this point, I intend on double majoring in engineering (structural) and art (visual arts/photography). We’ll see how that goes.

Right now I have the idea that I’ll possibly study architecture after getting a degree in engineering, but who knows. I could graduate college with a degree in philosophy for all I know. Well, probably not philosophy 鈥�

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

I can almost touch my nose with my tongue. Almost. But that’s unimportant.

I love film photography, and I’d say I’m a pretty good photographer. I collect old cameras. I think I’m at about 14 by now.

I also love art, particularly painting. Reading, travel, movies, people watching are also among my favorite things to do.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

That’s a tough one. I actually enjoy taking standardized tests such as the ACT and the SAT. That’s weird, right?

Which class is your favorite? Which class do you like the least?

My favorite class(es) are my (Advanced Placement) art class and my calculus class. I love math and I love art.

My least favorite class would have to be 鈥� French. Sorry Madame Hacke 鈥� it’s my fourth year with you for a teacher and you’re still one of my favorites.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I’m the president of Milwaukie High’s National Honor Society, so I’m pretty involved in that. I also participate in the Milwaukie High chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the only high school chapter in Oregon. Lastly, I take part in another charity group known as Community 101. No sports for me; I hate exercising.

Why did you decide to get involved with ACE?

This is my second year participating in ACE, and I had too much fun last year to not return.

I decided to do ACE last year because I’ve been interested in the whole construction process for quite awhile now. Thought it’d be wise to familiarize myself with all the different areas.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the program?

I’m hoping for more knowledge and an even better idea about what the whole industry is about 鈥� not to mention one of the scholarships they give out to a few seniors at the end of the program.

Who are you?

My name is Alvin Swearingen, and I will be turning 19 on May 23.

Where do you go to school, and what year are you in?

I attend a very welcoming, small alternative education program called Mt. Scott Learning Centers (MSLC). I am currently wrapping up my last year of high school as a senior.

What are your plans after high school?

I think the better question to ask is what I am not considering after high school. But seriously, there’s plenty of life opportunities, and I would love to start my plans off with traveling with AmeriCorps and earning money for college. I have been interested in architecture and design since I was a boy, drawing my future dream homes.

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

I can draw sickening morbid faces; I guess you could consider that unusual. Other than the faces, I find myself lifting weights, doodling in my large book of drawings and looking up cooking recipes.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

As a young boy, my grandfather and I would travel across the United States, delivering freight, in his large, white semi-truck.

Which class is your favorite? Which class do you like the least?

My most favorite class is science because no matter how much we continue to learn and research, life will always be an amazing mystery no one has an exact answer for. I don’t have a class that I don’t like. I love to learn and every class is important, but math can be complicated and hard for me to understand.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

The last Wednesday of every month I volunteer my time with various nonprofit organizations.聽 As much as I wish I could give other examples, I don’t do a lot out of school. For the record I have been religiously job searching, and I simply can’t find anything.

Why did you decide to get involved with ACE?

I want to be somebody. I don’t want to be another person thrown in Oregon’s 9.1 percent unemployment rate. I thought getting involved with the ACE Mentor program would be a fun way to learn about architecture and design, while increasing my chances for success.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the program?

I am hoping to build a freaking awesome caf茅!聽 I also want to draw blueprints, find out what I have to do to be successful in this line of work, and find out if architecture and design is as great as I have perceived it to be.

Who are you?

Sara Winick-Brown. I’m 16, but I will be 17 by the end of the ACE Mentor program.

Do you have any nicknames?

None

Where do you go to school, and what year are you in?

I am a junior; I go to Wilson High School in southwest Portland.

What are your plans after high school?

I am not really sure. I want to work somewhere where I am not confined to a desk and where there are a lot of people.

Do you have any unusual skills, talents or hobbies?

I sing and play piano, but I really enjoy tennis.

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

I once was able to balance a knife on the handle of another knife. That was pretty cool.

Which class is your favorite? Which class do you like the least?

I really like my physics and digital media design classes. I’m not going to lie 鈥� I hate social studies, history and the like 鈥� just aren’t my thing.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I was in a choir last year, I take piano this year, and I currently have two jobs.

Why did you decide to get involved with ACE?

I honestly started because it counts as 鈥渃areer experience鈥� or something for school. It was a requirement and I figured why not.

What are you hoping to take away from your time in the program?

I don’t know really. I like the idea of saying, 鈥淚 helped build that,鈥� but I also just kind of want to know if I even like architecture that much. So I guess I just want to come away with a better understanding of my interests.