Building Futures AEC Professionals: SSF’s Decade of Impact with the ACE Mentor Program

What Is the ACE Mentor Program?
At Swenson Say Fagét (SSF), we believe that introducing students to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries early and equitably can change the trajectory of a young person’s life. That’s exactly what the ACE Mentor Program does.

The Seattle Chapter of ACE has been doing this work since 2001. ACE is entirely free to students and is run by volunteer mentors from AEC firms in Tacoma and Seattle. Scholarship funding comes solely from AEC companies and firms supporting the AEC industry who are invested in growing the next generation of industry professionals. It is our honor to support staff members who choose to pay it forward.

Celebrating Beth Morales‘ 10 Years of Service
This year, at the ACE Mentor/Seattle Chapter’s Industry Leader Reception and Scholarship Awards Program, SSF Structural Engineer and Project Manager Beth Morales was honored for 10 years of service as an ACE Mentor.

After graduating from Washington State University, Beth joined SSF in 2013 and has been at the forefront of SSF’s involvement in the ACE program ever since. Her decade of involvement includes:

• ACE Mentor (2016–2026)
• ACE Mentor Team Lead (2019–2026)
• ACE Strategic Planning Committee (2024-2026)
• ACE Women in Engineering Committee Member (2023–2026) It should be noted that the Seattle Chapter is the only ACE Chapter in the country to have a Women in Engineering Endowment Fund.
• ACE Mentor of the Year (2023)
• Additionally, Beth has presented ACE Program information at schools, led student recruitment efforts in the South Sound, provided education and sponsorship outreach to community partners, assisted in developing the annual Request for Proposals, and fiercely advocated for the South Sound teams to be given the same opportunities as the Seattle and Bellevue teams who have more resources at their disposal.

Effective July 15, 2026, Beth is joining the ACE Board of Directors.

Beth is not alone in her commitment. SSF colleagues Karina Bovee, Lan Nguyen, and Elliot Holzhauer also volunteer as ACE mentors, reflecting our firm-wide support of ACE.

Why does this matter?
We might be biased, but we believe the most inspiring story from this year’s Scholarship Program is that of Ashley Contreras Avila, Beth’s mentee for the past three years, and a 4-years ACE student who exemplifies everything-ACE.

Ashley didn’t just participate in ACE. She committed to it fully by driving 25 miles in rush-hour traffic, twice a month for four years to attend team meetings. She is the first student in the South Puget Sound to complete all four years of the ACE Mentor Program.

That dedication paid off in a big way. This year, Ashley was awarded:

• A $12,000 scholarship from the ACE Seattle Chapter (the highest-level scholarship awarded)
• A $20,000 ACE National Scholarship (the only ACE Seattle student to receive a National Award)

Ashley also served as an SSF Summer Extern in 2025, gaining real-world experience with structural engineering. Her technical growth is remarkable. She applied the structural engineering principles she learned through ACE to identify and solve a structural failure in the cantilevered platform of the team’s project design that her peers had missed. Beyond her technical skills, Ashley demonstrated exceptional leadership by translating complex engineering concepts into Spanish to support a non-English-speaking teammate. This fall, she will begin her studies in structural engineering at Seattle University.

Ashley’s story is proof that when dedicated professionals like Beth and dozens of other Puget Sound mentors invest their time and have the support of their firms, students’ lives are transformed and new AEC industry professionals are born.

Join ACE in Building Futures
SSF is proud to be a Bronze Sponsor of the ACE Mentor Program of Washington and to have staff members who generously share their time and expertise. If you’re an AEC professional interested in becoming a mentor, or a firm looking to support the next generation, we encourage you to learn more at acementor.org.

Congratulations, Beth, on 10 years of selfless service to ACE. And congratulations, Ashley. We look forward to watching you soar through your program at SU!

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