Imani Young: Basking in the Benefits of an ACE Mentor Program

In May 2018, Imani Young will graduate from Andrews University with a bachelor's degree in architecture. As a high school student, Imani participated in the ACE Mentor Cleveland Program, which the Construction Employers Association supports to further advance the construction industry. While in college, she took advantage of what the Program offered: a scholarship to attend college, a mentor to help guide her college experience and an additional scholarship to travel to Europe as part of her architectural learning experience.

College Life

In her senior year, Imani was awarded the Ward Scholarship from The Cleveland Foundation. The scholarship provided an annual tuition of $6,500. "It’s helped a lot," said Imani. "I will graduate with a degree in architecture, and even though I don’t think that I may end up in a traditional architecture position, I appreciate the traditional architectural education. The classes helped. The internships allowed me to realize that there are so many avenues to pursue. I know that working in the field will help me decide," she said. "I realize that there are some aspects of any job that I will have to do, even though I won't necessarily enjoy it, but I know that learning everything I can will make me better."

While volunteering in Andrews Filipino International Association (AFIA) at school, Imani realized she enjoyed graphic design. "I applied to be the secretary, however they gave me graphic design. I was hesitant but tried it and now I like it.  It was the first time I was exposed to it," Imani shared. "I looked up how to do it on YouTube and realized that I wanted to do more of it."

Recognizing she liked the design process, Imani created the club's logo and lanyard. In the coming months, AFIA will put on a play.  Imani is the graphic designer for the project.  "It’s what I like and enjoy," she said. "I am developing skills and will keep practicing it."

Not Flying Solo

ACE understands that while in college, most students find the new experience awkward and possibly difficult to navigate. For that reason, a student is paired with a mentor during their college years. Imani shared that, "Margaret is one of my favorite people. I aspire to be like her. Besides my mother as my role model, Margaret is my second role model," she said. 

"During my senior year in high school, we talked about work and personal things." Imani mentioned that her ACE mentor, Margaret Hewitt of The Construction Green Team, helped her grow. She was instrumental in helping her make the decision to stay and finish her bachelor's degree in architecture. "She helped me to make plans, even though I am not much of a planner. Margaret helped me understand the construction field. During my internship, she helped me understand and know why things are the way they are. She’s my first real mentor and the best I’ve had so far."

Imani said Hewitt stressed to her that the ACE program is a great opportunity to learn different things and that there are other fields that may interest her besides architecture, construction and engineering. "She told me there are other fields to consider and that I need to stick it through and try to learn as much as I can," she said.

By far, having a mentor is very instrumental in Imani's college success. "I liked it [ACE Mentor Program] due to the mentors. They are very interesting and receptive to what we wanted to know," she said.  "They gave us good feedback on a lot of the activities that we did. I want to be like these people. They are very inspiring. In addition to Margaret, I have another mentor, Sara Shonk of Toner Architects in Pennsylvania.  She has been very helpful by answering questions I might have. She is very inspiring," Imani shared. 

Life Beyond ACE

"I am looking for a job in the construction management field. I would like to learn more about that because I like being on site and watching how everything is built and how it all comes together," said Imani. "Also, I want to go back to school and pursue graphic design in my free time and eventually earn a master's degree. I would one day like to learn more about branding, editorial work and get my hands into doing poster design and magazine spreads," Imani adds.

Serving as a humanitarian is another goal for Imani, who has considered volunteering for the Peace Corps after college. "I really want to be able to help people," she said. During the summer of 2017, she went on a mission trip to Amman, Jordan where she helped paint the walls of the Princess Tharwat Secondary School for Girls.  Imani remembers having a chance to get to know the staff and the young ladies.  She also helped complete a community project for Madaba Seventh Day Adventist Church, one of the neighboring churches.   

What advice does Imani have for potential ACE participants? "Always try to be your best and have a good, positive attitude. It may not always be easy at times, but it will be very helpful. It’s a great opportunity.  You get to learn different things."

"Stick it through,” she offers. “Try to learn as much as you can. You can apply for a college scholarship and it will continue throughout your college years. The ACE Program is where you can grow and explore yourself and the world around you."