{"id":45648,"date":"2016-05-12T10:47:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-12T14:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/aces-program-puts-la-youth-from-disadvantaged-communities-on-path-to-college-careers-in-science-technology-engineering-arts-math\/"},"modified":"2016-05-12T10:48:34","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T14:48:34","slug":"el-programa-aces-pone-a-los-jovenes-de-comunidades-desfavorecidas-en-los-angeles-en-el-camino-a-la-universidad-y-las-carreras-en-ciencias-tecnologia-ingenieria-artes-y-matematicas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/el-programa-aces-pone-a-los-jovenes-de-comunidades-desfavorecidas-en-los-angeles-en-el-camino-a-la-universidad-y-las-carreras-en-ciencias-tecnologia-ingenieria-artes-y-matematicas\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;ACES&#8217; Program Puts LA Youth from Disadvantaged Communities on Path to College, Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">LOS ANGELES<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 12, 2016<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Emerald Cities Collaborative&#8217;s (ECC) commitment to building a sustainable and just economy for the next generation of young people from disadvantaged communities has taken unique form in the Architecture, Construction and Engineering Students (ACES) Pathway Program in <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span>, where the <span class=\"xn-location\">Washington, D.C<\/span>-based nonprofit has a local office.<\/p>\n<p>Photo &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20160510\/366063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/photos.prnewswire.com\/prnh\/20160510\/366063<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The ACES Pathway Program is giving more than 170 LA-area high schoolers from diverse backgrounds the chance to explore &#8220;STEAM&#8221; (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) careers by earning community college credit for related courses and gaining hands-on work experience alongside industry professionals during paid summer internships. The college credits are transferrable to campuses within the <span class=\"xn-org\">California State University<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-org\">University of California<\/span> systems, giving the students a head start towards a degree. To learn more about ECC&#8217;s work to expand economic opportunities for residents of disadvantaged communities in and around LA, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/emeraldcities.org\/cities\/losangeles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/emeraldcities.org\/cities\/losangeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Win-win-win! <br \/><\/b>For all those reasons, &#8220;ACES is a win-win-win&#8221; for young people who might not otherwise find fulfilling, family-supporting careers in the STEAM disciplines \u2013 or even attend college at all \u2013 says Emerald Cities Los Angeles Program Director <span class=\"xn-person\">Veronica Soto<\/span>, who oversees ECC&#8217;s involvement in the program. <\/p>\n<p>ACES partners with local schools, including Alhambra High School, Legacy STEAM High School, Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, San Gabrielino High School, <span class=\"xn-person\">Mark Keppel High School<\/span>, SIATech Charter, YouthBuild-Boyle Heights and 5 Keys Charter. <\/p>\n<p>Participating campuses within the <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles Community<\/span> College District (LACCD) \u2013 where ACES students take courses in engineering, surveying, building information modeling (BIM), robotics, geographical information system (GIS) mapping and design by computer \u2013 include <span class=\"xn-org\">East Los Angeles College<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-org\">Los Angeles City College<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-org\">Los Angeles Trade Technical College<\/span>. <\/p>\n<p>In addition to financial and staff support from Emerald Cities Los Angeles, ACES receives staff support from the LACCD&#8217;s <span class=\"xn-money\">$6.2 billion<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.buildlaccd.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Build Program<\/a> \u2013 a community economic development program emphasizing local business and local hire participation \u2013 and in-kind support in the form of classroom space at the <a href=\"http:\/\/bhtechyouthcenter.wix.com\/bhtyc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Boyle Heights Technology YouthSource Center<\/a>, part of a <a href=\"http:\/\/ewddlacity.com\/index.php\/employment-services\/youth-age-16-24\/youthsource-centers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">citywide program<\/a> offering job skills training, tutoring, college preparation and other services. <\/p>\n<p><b>No Barriers <br \/><\/b>ACES creates academic pathways regardless of participants&#8217; GPAs and socio-economic challenges by employing a collaborative, proactive case management approach that engages high school principals and teachers, community college faculty and administrators, charter school executive directors and counselors at Boyle Heights Youth Technology Center. <\/p>\n<p>Besides the introductory STEAM-related college courses, field trips to construction sites and universities and work-related seminars prepare ACES students for summer internships with industry partners. <\/p>\n<p>To ensure a pathway to union apprenticeship upon high school graduation, students also are enrolled in apprenticeship preparation training conducted by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youthbuildcharter.org\/schools\/boyle-heights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">YouthBuild-Boyle Heights<\/a>, which uses the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) created by the National Building and Construction Trades Council.<\/p>\n<p><b>Diversity, Mentoring, Doing it All <br \/><\/b>&#8220;The ACES Program aims to increase the diversity of students pursuing academic pathways in the design and construction disciplines and to develop mentoring between industry professionals and students,&#8221; Soto observes. &#8220;Seminars focusing on topics such as work-readiness and financial literacy gear up ACES students for their summer internship experiences,&#8221; she added.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>ACES participants such as <a href=\"https:\/\/legacyhs-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">STEAM Legacy High School<\/a> senior and scholar-athlete <span class=\"xn-person\">Ricardo Marquina<\/span> do it all, juggling a full high school class schedule plus at least one college course, as well as extracurricular activities. Active in football, volleyball and the yearbook staff, Marquina is also a member of the National Honor Society with plans to major in engineering.<\/p>\n<p>During his paid internship last summer at the LACCD Build Program, Marquina worked on BIM files alongside an office architect, among other tasks. &#8220;Through ACES, I learned to use auto-cad, sketch-up and other software,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The college classes benefited me because engineers are using these software programs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added, &#8220;Also, I&#8217;ve got some experience working in a project office that will help me in the future. The challenging part for me was working in the office, because I wasn&#8217;t used to working in an environment where everyone is quiet doing their work.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b>A Transformative Program <br \/><\/b>STEAM Legacy High School Principal <span class=\"xn-person\">Carla Barrera-Ortiz<\/span> said ACES &#8220;has transformed our school&#8217;s culture and academic program by giving our students direct access to college-level coursework, workforce development and hands-on training through paid internship opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Because of the ACES program,&#8221; she continued, &#8220;student enrollment at Legacy STEAM H.S. has increased by over 45 percent\u00a0since we opened in 2012. ACES has helped our school create a direct pipeline into the architecture, construction and engineering career pathways within a community that has historically been under-represented in the STEM fields.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><b>Delivering on the Promise<\/b><br \/>Following its recent accreditation review, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges &#8220;recognized and celebrated ACES as a dynamic program that delivers its promise to increase college and career readiness for our STEAM students,&#8221; Barrera-Ortiz added. &#8220;This partnership is helping STEAM High School realize its vision and mission, as promised to our students and their families.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Soto said that upon securing the necessary funding, ACES will be expanded to other <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span> regions, specifically <span class=\"xn-location\">South Los Angeles<\/span> and the San Fernando Valley.<\/p>\n<p><i>Emerald Cities Collaborative (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.emeraldcities.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.emeraldcities.org<\/a>) is a national nonprofit network of organizations working together to advance a sustainable environment while creating economic opportunities for all. ECC is headquartered in <span class=\"xn-location\">Washington, D.C.<\/span>, and works in a number of &#8220;Emerald Cities&#8221; nationwide with local and national partners that bring resources and expertise\u00a0from the community, labor, business and government sectors.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>CONTACT: <span class=\"xn-person\">Ronnie Kweller<\/span>, <a href=\"mailto:rkweller@emeraldcities.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">rkweller@emeraldcities.org<\/a>, 202-688-0880, 202-276-9327<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">LOS ANGELES<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">May 12, 2016<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Emerald Cities Collaborative&#8217;s (ECC) commitment to building a sustainable and just economy for the next generation of young people from disadvantaged communities has taken unique form in the Architecture, Construction and Engineering Students (ACES) Pathway Program in <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span>, where the <span class=\"xn-location\">Washington, D.C<\/span>-based nonprofit has a local office.<\/p>\n<p>Photo &#8211; &lt;a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-educacion"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}