An Ace In The Hole For The Future Of Architecture

“Kids these days!” Though that’s usually said with a negative connotation, our own designers Johan Bueno and Rachel McGraw, walked away from the Ace Mentor Program saying it with a smile. 

For the uninitiated, the ACE Mentor Program inspires high school students to follow careers in architecture, construction and engineering. In other words, it’s a program after our own hearts. Add in a competition element, and how could Johan and Rachel NOT jump in to represent Dix.Hite? Plus, with extensive volunteer experience (Johan volunteered at elementary schools with the ASLA, and Rachel was involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America), this opportunity was more than perfect for them.

Much like the watermelon-growing contest back at our office, the competition drama was high. Groups of mentors and students slugged it out for architectural and design dominance, selecting from architecture-based projects to site planning and master planning. The resulting projects spanned from a mixed-use development to the intricate design of a tiny home. And our group, who had chosen to redesign the students’ high school, took home first place in the national competition!

But it was more than just winning that filled all of us with pride. This fantastic program allowed Johan and Rachel to impact every student they had the pleasure of meeting. They shared the importance of collaboration, out-of-the-box thinking and sustainable design, and challenged the students to look at the space where the lines blur between fields. And as one of only two mentor groups from a landscape architecture background, we are so proud to have had Dix.Hite represented so well.

Thank you to Johan and Rachel, as well as the ACE Mentor Program, for helping build our industry and art. If the ”kids these days” are any indication of what’s to come, the future of architecture, design and engineering is in great hands.