A once dormant student tech group at 91ÑÇÉ« is back – this time, with a plan to last.
After two years of inactivity, the Google Developer Group (GDG) chapter at 91ÑÇÉ« has been revived by a first-year student focused on hands-on learning and long-term leadership.
Soroush Baraouf, a computer engineering student at the , was appointed by Google's regional program team as the founder and organizer of the newly relaunched GDG on Campus at 91ÑÇÉ« chapter earlier this year.
Part of a global Google-supported network, GDG chapters are student-run organizations that host workshops, project-based learning experiences and hackathons, giving students hands-on exposure to technologies such as cloud computing and AI. The 91ÑÇÉ« chapter shut down after previous student leaders graduated or moved into upper-year studies.
Baraouf, who moved to Canada from Iran where he had spent years following the GDG network, hoped to be a part of 91ÑÇɫ’s chapter. When he arrived at the University, however, he learned the chapter was inactive – so he took action to relaunch it.
"I could feel the bulb kind of turn on in my mind," he says. "Maybe I can be the person who can build this community."
Beyond his own ambitions, Baraouf saw a broader need: a stronger technical community that could help 91ÑÇÉ« students make their work more visible to employers – especially in a competitive recruitment landscape.
"There are so many students at universities like U of T or Waterloo who just get more exposure simply because they attend those schools," he says. "What I wanted to fix was to create a serious community and do serious stuff so recruiters and employers can understand that people at 91ÑÇÉ« can also get things done."
The chapter's programming is built around that goal. Rather than hosting speaker panels that students leave with little to show, Baraouf is centring the group on what he calls a builder mindset: workshops that begin with a real problem, guide participants through Google tools like Firebase and Google Cloud Platform, and end with a working project students can add to their portfolios.
First-year students are a particular focus, since many are entering the workforce without practical project experience.
"We want to help people actually build solutions – real-world stuff that solves real problems that they can showcase," he says.
The chapter's scope extends beyond engineering students. Baraouf sees tools like Google's Gemini AI models and cloud hosting as relevant across disciplines – for business students exploring fintech ideas, arts students using image generation tools or students who want to build and host a portfolio without a technical background.
"No matter what discipline you're in, what level you're at, there's still something you can do with AI," he says.
To keep the chapter from repeating the previous group's fate, Baraouf has built in structural safeguards. The executive team of approximately 23 students is organized into five groups – technology, academics, operations, finance, and outreach and growth – each deliberately staffed with both junior and senior students. If upper-year leaders graduate, there are always newer members ready to step into leadership roles.
The relaunch would not have happened without external support. Professor Jeff Harris helped Baraouf navigate 91ÑÇÉ«'s club ratification process, while Adeola Omojola, former student and the previous chapter lead, shared key documents and guidance on the Google application process. Becky Phan, Google's regional program lead for North America, helped guide the Google collaboration.
For Baraouf, long-term success of the program means helping 91ÑÇÉ« students build a stronger technical profile with employers and creating a club that continues well after he graduates. He envisions the club as one that contributes to students’ academic experience by partnering with professors on hands-on course projects.
On July 3, the group hosted the Engineering & AI Innovation (EAII) Case Competition at Google's Toronto headquarters – an event where students learn how Google is evolving in engineering, and then pitch AI-based solutions to Google engineers for feedback and discussion.
"We set out to prove GDG 91ÑÇÉ« U is different: a club built on real technical depth, real ambition, real standards," says Baraouf. "Judging by the room that day, we made our case."
Students interested in joining can become members through the chapter's website at .
Executive applications for the current cycle are now closed, but general membership is open and a new round of leadership recruitment is planned for September.
With files from Mzwandile Poncana