AIANY Women in Architecture Committee, in collaboration with ACE Greater NY and NYC DOE Career and Technical Education Programs, offered a special virtual mentoring session for high school students on April 7, 2022. WIA Career Day: Building the Future Pipeline looked toward the next generation of design and construction professionals and focused on engaging and empowering students by fostering relationships through mentorship.

High schoolers and recent college graduates met with 16 women architects and designers of all professional levels in three rounds of virtual breakout sessions as the mentors shared their experiences in the industry and educational/career pathways. The Committee also announced a NextGen Scholarship for talented high school seniors who are planning to attend college and start their education to pursue a career in architecture, engineering, and construction. We are so pleased to hear the positive and valuable takeaways from the students. Due to the great success of this event and the importance of reflecting diverse communities in the AEC industries, we hope to make this a core program moving forward. 

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible. A special thank you to all the students, and mentors, Sue Veres Royal and Lauren Fiore at ACE GNY, Gavaskar Reid at NYC DOE Career & Technical Education, Sara Ngan for coordinating the Next Gen Scholarship, and Mindy No, Principal at Perkins Eastman for spearheading this event!