Jack Spencer, SCC CEO, Miaoyu Zhang, SCC Intern, Mike Rafat, Jersey City/Hudson County Regional Director

SCC Intern Earns $2,000 ACE Scholarship  

Miaoyu Zhang of Jersey City Aiming for Career in Architecture 

Jersey City, NJ (June 2004) - Miaoyu Zhang, an intern with New Jersey Schools Corporation (SCC) regional office in Jersey City, has received a $2,000 scholarship from ACE (Architecture, Construction and Engineering) through its program that motivates high school students toward construction industry careers with mentoring and scholarship opportunities.

Ms. Zhang received her scholarship recently at the 5^th Annual ACE Scholarship Breakfast in Newark. John F. Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of the SCC, also was honored at the event for his support and participation in the ACE Mentor Program, which has awarded over $1.2 million in college scholarships. 

As an intern, Spencer noted, Ms. Zhang got the opportunity to work with SCC project officers and network with well-known architects involved in New Jersey’s unprecedented $8.6 billion public school building program fostered by Gov. James E. McGreevey.  

“Miaoyu has great potential in development, creation and computer operations. She has experienced the real world of business and gained knowledge first-hand,” Spencer said.  

The SCC, Spencer said, “presents a good opportunity for students like Miaoyu who are involved with ACE because it provides career guidance and practical experience to future architects, engineers and construction managers. The scholarship and mentoring opportunities are terrific, and we hope to close the circle through this practical experience.” The SCC Summer Internship Program has 30 positions this year, he added, “and we look forward to granting such opportunities to other ACE students in the future.”  

Ms. Zhang, who recently graduated with honors from Dickinson High School in Jersey City, has been involved with the ACE Mentor Program for two years. For her ACE project during her senior year, Ms. Zhang was part of a team that designed a performing arts center, creating floor plans for the auditorium and the basement. She also was a member of the Technology Student Association, National Honor Society and Magic Club at Dickinson High, and participated in Tae Kwon Do, earning a Senior Blue Belt. She has received an Outstanding Woman in Technology Leadership award from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), and was recognized by the Society of Women Engineers. 

“I joined the ACE mentor program during my junior year of high school. The program provided me with the learning environment as well as opportunities to explore the field of architecture,” said Ms. Zhang, who will attend NJIT this fall to major in architecture. 

Mike Rafat, director of the SCC regional office in Jersey City, spoke highly of Ms. Zhang in recommending her to the ACE scholarship selection committee this spring. 

“As an SCC intern, Miaoyu Zhang has demonstrated outstanding performance while working with her colleagues. At the office, she is always enthusiastic and passionate to learn from others, and has proven her ability to collaborate and interact well with each individual. Her dedication and contribution towards each task is remarkable,” Rafat said.Despite her class workload and after-school activities, he added, Ms. Zhang remained dedicated and focused, and her work attendance was exemplary. 

Approaching its second birthday, SCC has hundreds of school construction projects under way and is making tremendous progress in fulfilling the visionary goal of Governor McGreevey, who initiated SCC in July 2002 to streamline the building of quality schools statewide – the largest public construction program ever undertaken by the State of New Jersey, and one of the largest programs of its type ever undertaken in the nation. 

Other honorees at the ACE scholarship event June 10^th included Lewis O. Morgan, Assistant Vice President, Manager, Civil Engineering of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, and James J. McLafferty, Executive Vice President of The Multi Tech Group. ACE participants – a unique partnership of schools and universities, architects, interior designers, engineers, construction management companies, professional organizations, and owners – serve as advisors and mentors, donating time and resources as needed.