ACE Mentor Highlight: Angela Jones
“The true beauty of the ACE Mentor Program is the look in the kid’s eyes when they have the ability to share and learn something new. DuringPresentation Night you see the students get up on stage and share what they’ve done and re-tell what they’ve learned throughout the program. At that moment, you realize, this is what’s worth it, this is why we continue to do this every year.”
Since Collinwood first joined the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland 6 years ago, Angela Jones has inspired students in the program by exposing them to STEM careers and sharing aspects of her own unique journey into the engineering industry to help students realize their own potential. A civil engineer by trade, Jones is the Senior Government Affairs Specialist of ACE sponsor, the Northeast Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), where she works with stakeholders, elected officials, and the community to educate them on the positive environmental changes construction in the area will bring about.
Angela’s passion for educating and mentorship is ideal in her work at NEORSD where she educates communities, like that of Collinwood High School on the construction taking place and the various industries that come together to make the work happen. Angela’s hope is to inspire children in the community to realize their potential in careers they weren’t previously exposed to by teaching students about the work taking place.
Currently, the Sewer District is investing billions of dollars in infrastructure to protect public health and the environment. Through these infrastructure upgrades, the Sewer District has construction projects throughout several areas and neighborhoods. Angela focuses on helping the students to understand the hundreds of different positions that come together in the industry to make a project successful and ultimately benefit a community.
Understanding firsthand the positive impact that mentorship can have through her own experiences, Angela engages with students by acting as an example of what can be achieved despite adversities faced.
As Jones continues to live out her life mission of exposing the next generation to careers in STEM, she mentors students to the “just do it” philosophy that helped her achieve her own aspirations, and acts as a constant reminder that no matter where you are, you can move forward.
What inspired you to become a mentor?
I wanted to be able to bring exposure to the kids about potential careers that they may not know exist where they come from. It’s good to share with them all of our stories because everyone has a story. Hopefully, a student can be inspired by seeing something in us that they can take and make a dream of their own.
I’m also very active in an organization called The National Society of Black Engineers. My role with them really solidified that my role in life is to make sure that I expose the next generation to engineering and STEM careers. I love engineering because you can pick what you like to do or have passion with and then match that with engineering, and that’s part of the message I share with students.
Why do you mentor?
“I want to make sure that students that look like me see someone who has been where they are and has changed their life. I share my story in hopes that it allows a student to realize that no matter where you are, what you’re going through, what you have to deal with, you can do it. Just do it, just take one step at a time and move forward.”
What is your favorite aspect of the program?
From a programmatic standpoint, the ACE program and how it was set up provided an avenue for companies to participate that would not have them have to do it all. The concept of having a team with different mentors from varying companies coming together and sharing the responsibility of engaging and mentoring the students is one of the best concepts.