Emily Thomas is pictured with her check from DBS Corporation.
Hamilton County Collegiate High at Chattanooga State students, Isabel Huisman and Emily Thomas, each received a $3,000 scholarship at the ACE Mentor Program Awards banquet. The Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program mentors high school students and inspires them to pursue careers in design, construction, and engineering. It is the construction industry’s fastest-growing high school mentoring program reaching more than 8,000 students. ACE scholarship recipients must show creative and critical thinking skills, demonstrate leadership qualities, and display a positive attitude and initiative.
Emily is currently on track to graduate from Collegiate High at Chattanooga State with an A.A.S. in Digital Media Design, with a concentration in Web Design. She plans to use the ACE scholarship from DBS Corporation to help complete her bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering at UTC this fall. “I will be entering college with experience that many students don’t have, thanks to the ACE mentor program,” says Emily. DBS Corporation is a Tennessee-based general contractor specializing in commercial and retail construction throughout the Southeast, Midwest, and mid-Atlantic United States.
Collegiate High helped Isabel Huisman to graduate from high school a semester early in December 2016 with a 3.9 GPA. She also was able to gain some college credits in her core classes to put her ahead. Isabel plans on using her ACE scholarship from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to help pay for her bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. “My passion is to create the best environments for any purpose to help people produce their best work and feel their best.” she says. AIA Chattanooga is the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a national professional organization with more than 90,000 members.
Isabel Huisman, center, is shown with Matt Twitchell, left, President of AIA Chattanooga, and Caitlin Moffitt, right, Chattanooga State Engineering & Information Technologies Division.