ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, AND ENGINEERING (ACE) MENTORING PROGRAM

Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal (KRSM) Project Manager Austin Erney, Estimator Austin Lynch, and Submittal Engineer Kristina Koepke recently finished helping to mentor during the 2017-2018 Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program in Frederick, Maryland. The 2016-2017 group of students totaled 15 while this year it increased to 25 students.

The ACE Mentor Program caters to high school students who have an interest in pursuing careers within the architecture, construction, and engineering fields. First year students within the program learn the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of the industry, and the second year they use what they have learned to complete a presentation project that competes on a national level.

The KRSM mentors work with students from all high schools located in Frederick County. “Our goal is to educate students about possible career paths in our industry and generally help them select a path through college programs,” said Erney. On a bi-weekly bases, they would host mentor classes and teach the students about career paths in architecture, construction, and engineering fields of study. Topics included scheduling, estimating, LEED, and architectural design. Throughout the semester, participants completed several class exercises. One exercise involved balsa wood bridge building, and the students competed against each other based on cost, efficiency, and performance.

Austin Lynch has been involved with the program for three years, Austin Erney for two, and Kristina one, and they are planning to continue the program well into the future with the goal of increased involvement. Austin Erney noted, “I enjoy seeing the students work together to achieve a common goal. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the students grow and select their secondary education paths. These students are the future of the industry, and we are helping them get started.”

A mentor student from last summer’s program, Erika Jacobs, just began her second term as an intern with KRSM in Maryland. Congratulations to everyone on the KRSM team involved in this great program. Keep up the good work!

Pictured from left to right are Kristina Koepke, Austin Lynch, and Austin Erney.