Volunteers from Forte Construction, the Islandia-based general contractor, mentored students from NYCHA’s Roosevelt Houses in Brooklyn as they redesigned their community room, as part of the Salvadori Center’s STEAM Innovators program.

The program, run in partnership with the New York Building Foundation and the Public Housing Community Fund, teaches science, technology, engineering, arts and architecture, and math through hands-on projects built around the places students know. It also gives students the chance to hear from and work with professionals from construction, architecture and engineering firms.

The students began by interviewing the people who use the room most, then made vision boards and prototype sketches. Those sketches became three-dimensional models and technical floor plans. Seven Forte employees, including a project engineer, a superintendent, a safety engineer and the firm’s director of operations and chief of staff, served as mentors along the way.

At the program’s final presentation, the students showed their designs to their families, Salvadori staff, Forte’s volunteers and representatives of the New York Building Foundation. State Senator Jabari Brisport, who represents the surrounding community, came to see their work firsthand. The students also visited Forte’s headquarters in Islandia, meeting staff from marketing, accounting, human resources and estimating to learn about the many career paths in construction.

“We believe that building stronger communities means investing in people, creating opportunities, and supporting the next generation of STEAM professionals,” said Athena Pappas, Forte’s director of philanthropy. “We are beyond proud of our latest graduates of the STEAM Innovators program,” said Trenton Price, executive director of the Salvadori Center. “We look forward to seeing their design implemented and their growth into STEAM professionals.”

Forte has long supported STEAM education, including the $100,000 Forte Construction Corp. Scholarship Fund it launched with The Cooper Union in 2024 for students interested in construction and construction management. Photos courtesy of Forte Construction.