2017 ACE Scholarship Award Winners

My name is Kyle Amon and ever since I was a child I knew I would be doing something in the ACE field. My days filled with, building Legos, loving cars and playing outside sports as a child. Today, I love to go hiking and mountain biking, as well as just driving and exploring new places with my car. I also have a love for design and problem solving in Autodesk Revit and Inventor. I attend Plymouth Whitemarsh high school where I am able to join tech clubs and even become an Intern at GKO Architects. I also have a part-time position at Legoland Discovery Center. Next year I plan on joining ROTC and having a fantastic time at Penn State Altoona.

My name is William Bess, I am 17 years old and an aspiring civil engineer. I currently attend Carver HSES. During the summer I will be involved in a paid internship working in the Design and Construction field at Princeton University. Over the course of my high school career I’ve established many connections, most importantly with the ACE mentors, just to name a few Alex Chan, Kevin Brown, Enoque Panzo, and Christopher Rapone and the rest of Team 1. I’ve first became interested in the engineering field in 10th grade taking engineering 1 with my high school teacher Mr. Koehler who’s been my engineering teacher all throughout 10th grade till 12th grade. He was also the one that introduced the ACE Mentoring program to me and helped me be successful in it.

Alexsis Davis is a graduating senior from George Washington Carver High School for Engineering & Science. At an early age, Alexsis found her passions for traveling (touring London, England; traveling across country by car with her Family), giving to others (Project READ: A Mini Library; volunteering at a food kitchen) and engineering.

With engineering, Alexsis has been involved with the ACE Mentoring Program, The Army Corps of Engineers, GearGirls Robotics Club and a number of other programs. Alexsis will be attending Temple University in the fall of 2017 as an Engineering major.

Raquel Dunoff hopes to change the world through engineering. She plans on inventing the next big thing and creating a start up company. After graduating from Plymouth Whitemarsh High School this June, Raquel will head to Olin College of Engineering. There she will be a part of revolutionary engineering education through the college’s innovative hands on design courses. Raquel also enjoys working behind the scenes in theater, doing stage crew and set construction. She is passionate about encouraging girls to become engineers. She plans on being a part of the Society of Women Engineers and hopes to be a role model.

My name is Ryan Hunt, and I am currently a senior at Methacton High School. After I graduate, I am going to Penn State University to major in Chemical Engineering. Some hobbies and Activities that I am involved in are running for both the Track and Cross Country teams at Methacton, Boy Scouts in which I am an Eagle Scout, Hunting, and Knife Making! ACE has been one of the most helpful resources that I have been able to experience in high school, as it has given me an inside look and many different roads that I can take in the engineering field.

I am a senior at Upper Dublin High School and I plan on attending Philadelphia University to study Architecture. I have been interested in drawing structures and floor plans since I was in elementary school. In fact, my fourth grade teacher noticed my special talent in drawing. She even invited an architect to my classroom to show his floor plans and explain the profession. I continue sketching houses, apartments and people on paper, and imagine floor plans in my head.

Throughout my high school career, I have been taking numerous courses related to Architecture, such as Introduction to Architecture and Engineering, Architecture I, Applied Engineering, and Introduction to 2D-Art. In my senior year, I joined the ACE Mentor Program to learn more about the profession and increase my architectural skills. I plan on joining the ACE Mentor Alumni chapter at Philadelphia University.

Eric Lorenzo is a senior at Holy Ghost Preparatory School, and soon to be graduate in the fall of 2017. He is heavily involved in art programs, and is very interested in architectural design. Having participated in the ACE program for two years, he has gained an insight into what a career in architecture would be like, and is actively (and excitedly) working towards one by attending Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

I am 17 years old and the oldest of four children. Being first generation Mexican-American, I am extremely proud of my Latina Heritage and the culture that comes with it. I have been fortunate enough to be involved in many groups throughout high school that have taught me things that you would not learn in the classroom. I am excited to take all of the experiences -along with what I learn in school- and incorporate them into being as successful as I can be. My father always told me “I am not just preparing you for a test, I am preparing you for life.”

Oliwia Paszkowska is an an 18-year old aspiring architect. She will graduate from Franklin Learning Center High School this summer and begin her college education with Community College of Philadelphia, after which she will transfer to Temple University. She practices photography as a hobby in her free time. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge and pursuing a career in architecture in the near future.

I’m Carolina Rivera and I attend Central High School. Next year I will be attending Philadelphia University and will be studying architecture. Some of my hobbies are hiking, making hairstyles, and playing guitar. With the ACE program I was able to expand my knowledge in the field of architecture and assure my interest in it for the future. I am so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of the program – I had many beautiful experiences…

I will be attending Penn State Harrisburg in the Fall with the intended major Civil Engineering. With this scholarship I am one step closer to fulfilling my goal of becoming a Civil Engineer. This program was great with helping me decide on what I want to do for a career. By awarding me the ACE Mentor Program scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus more on the most important aspects of school, learning. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.

I am a designer, artist, programmer, modeler, poet, writer, animator, gamer who has way too many pets.

My name is Nicholas Weisner and I am a senior at the Spring Ford high school in Royersford, PA. Having an interest in mathematics and building design, I became involved with the ACE Mentor Program in the tenth grade and have enjoyed it for the last three years. I am also a part of the VEX Robotics competitions where we design and build robots to compete in skill challenges against other area schools. I am a teacher’s assistant for computer science at my school where I help students with programming. In the fall I am looking forward to attending Penn State University as a Civil engineering major.