Ayan Ahmed (Year 1 IndE) and Devan Morrison (Year 1 MechE) are more than halfway through their first year of engineering studies at U of T — but their paths to get here started in very different places.

Morrison says that his desire to pursue engineering developed at an early age.

“I’ve always had a fascination with engines — taking them apart, fixing and selling them. Around 10 years old, I was like, yeah, I should become a mechanical engineer,” he says.

But Ahmed says that engineering was not on her radar until much later.

“As a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian, then thought I’d study law,” she says.

“It wasn’t until I was volunteering at a long-term care facility for older adults and people with disabilities that I realized the difference engineering innovations could make.”

What Ahmed and Morrison have in common is that in high school, they enrolled in the Blueprint summer program, an experience that both say profoundly changed how they looked at the engineering profession, as well as the University of Toronto itself.

“Before Blueprint, I didn’t want to apply to U of T,” says Ahmed.

“The program transformed my perspective not just of U of T engineering but also of myself. What once felt like an intimidating, prestigious place became a school where I realized I could thrive.”

Launched in 2020, Blueprint is an academic enrichment program designed for Black students interested in science and engineering. The program is open to Canadian students in Grades 10 and 11 who are interested in careers in STEM.

Blueprint consists of four weeks of summer programming featuring engineering-focused summer courses, fun and educational excursions, and community-building events. The summer component is followed by one or two year-long engagement streams involving regular meetups and monthly webinars.

“It was unlike any other STEM summer camp or program I’ve been to,” says Morrison.

“We got to look at topics in depth, and it was the closest thing I’d had at that point to an actual university engineering experience.”

In the summer program, Monday to Thursday is taken up with courses on topics such as engineering and human health, or mechatronics and automation. On Fridays, participants take STEM-focused field trips to places such as the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), the Toronto Islands or Canada’s Wonderland.

“When we went to the aerospace facility, we got to walk around and see all the PhD students — what they were making and studying,” says Morrison.

“For me, it solidified the idea that I wanted to be an engineer and do this kind of stuff.”

Part of the program also involves weekly lectures from U of T professors from different departments and areas of research. Ahmed says she was inspired to pursue industrial engineering in part after hearing a talk from Professor Myrtede Alfred (MIE).

“She blew me away,” says Ahmed.

“One of my main goals in life is to create a more accessible world and I learned industrial engineering and human-centred design is all about that.”

In addition to its learning opportunities, both Morrison and Ahmed say that one of the most valuable aspects of Blueprint was how it offered them the chance to connect with other Black students interested in STEM.

“I grew up in a predominantly white neighbourhood where I didn’t have a lot of Black classmates to talk to about academia, so going to Blueprint was really cool because there was a group of like-minded people who all kind of looked like me,” says Morrison.

Following completion of the program, Morrison was awarded a McAllister Foundation scholarship, while Ahmed was the recipient of the U of T Engineering Entrance Scholarship for Black Students, which she says she never would have known about if not for Blueprint.

“Blueprint has a program called My Academic Preparation Sessions, or MAPS, that helps you prepare to apply to U of T Engineering and that’s when I learned about the entrance scholarship,” says Ahmed.

“I’d already applied to so many scholarships and was turned down, so when I saw I got it, I was so excited.”

Now well into their first year of engineering study, Ahmed and Morrison are making the most of their time and planning for what’s next.

“I love the professors. They’re all really invested in their students succeeding. And they’re just so open and inviting,” says Ahmed.

“My friend and I are trying to start a coffee brewing business and having professors with industry experience has been so helpful,” says Morrison.

“It’s really nice to talk to people in the profession who know what they’re doing and can answer your questions. I’ve had questions my whole life that no one has been able to answer. And now there are finally people here to answer them.”

Applications for the 2026 Blueprint summer program are open until March 29.