Darris James

Darris James is used to seeing his work as an architect transform spaces, but now he’s also watching young lives take on new form and direction through his contributions as a mentor with ACE’s Greater New York City affiliate.

Darris is a senior associate at Gensler’s Wall Street office. By the end of his first full year as an ACE mentor, he’d helped guide New York’s Team 6 to a second-place finish in ACE’s national project design competition.

Darris says he’s amazed by the knowledge many students bring to the team. “Sometimes it’s a question of who’s mentoring whom,” he says. “We’re constantly learning from these kids. It’s a two-way street.”

An avid advocate for ACE, he’s continuously recruiting new members from his own firm, and encouraging other mentors to do the same. His efforts have led to a quadrupling in the number of mentors working with Team 6.

Darris’ greatest satisfaction comes from watching young people grow and blossom through ACE. “A kid who starts out shy and quiet will stand up on stage at the end of the program to present the team project and totally wow the audience,” he notes. “Students can get anything from ACE. It’s wonderful to see so many graduating from the program having discovered what they really want to do in life, whether it’s in the building industry or some other area.”

The kids working with Darris and his fellow mentors recognize what ACE is doing for them, too. Team 6 has its affiliate’s highest student retention rate.