In September of 2021, Blueprint was just a dream that Simon Gao, Max Shi, and Hamzah Nizami all shared. Inspired by Blueprint chapters at other universities, they wanted to bring the same organization to Stevens. Blueprint would connect project teams of Stevens students to non-profit organizations (NPOs) to provide software solutions free of charge. However, all three of them were seniors, and not able to make Blueprint a fully registered organization (RSO) before graduating. Little did they know that they would lay the groundwork for what Blueprint has become in just two years, an organization with over 60 members that has worked on projects for five NPOs thus far.

Forming the Foundations of Stevens Blueprint (Spring 2022)

With no direction of where Blueprint would go after the founders left in May 2022, Katie Ng still saw the vision for Blueprint and wanted to bring it to life. In December of 2022, Katie worked to comprise an E-Board of six people, Collen Que, Jedd Alcalde, Andrew Krasinski, Shawn Aviles, and Christian Apostol. Needing to fill two more vacancies on E-Board, Shawn and Christian recruited Daniel Kim (DK) and Christa Ruiz. And thus, the final founding E-Board was composed: Katie as President, Christa as Vice President (VP) of Internal Operations, Andrew as VP of External Operations, DK as VP of Recruitment, Shawn and Christian as VP of Projects, and Colleen and Jedd as VP of Technology.

The founding E-Board met every week in a conference room on the fourth floor of the UCC towers. They would discuss how to increase their presence on campus, how to find NPOs to partner with, and how to conduct student applications for project teams. Week by week, they took steps to shape Blueprint into a club that would foster collaboration, innovation, and a strong sense of community.

The first application cycle for project teams in Spring 2022 was run a bit differently from what it is today. Originally, resumes were collected during the written application, but ultimately this was removed, as they aimed to assess potential project team members more through value based questions and their commitment to social good. There was also no technical challenge at the time, which has since been added in order to assess candidates technical skills. The E-board also ran their first iteration of Blueprint Games, which is a group activity where applicants are placed on a team to fix a problem that an actual NPO might face, in order to see how applicants work together. At the end of the written application, Blueprint Games and coffee chats, the E-Board selected fifteen developers, two designers, two product managers, and two technical leads to be split among the two projects they had gathered for their first NPOs—Asian American Dream (AAD) and NYC Mesh.

NYC Mesh provides free internet access, and AAD offers mentorship opportunities for underserved Asian American students. Our goal was to build a node mapper for NYC Mesh’s network and a customer relationship manager CRM for AAD’s mentorship program. The early stages of these projects were a learning experience that helped shape how we operate today. Without on-campus room booking privileges, project teams initially met over Discord, but quickly realized the value of in-person collaboration. We held bi-weekly check-ins with the nonprofits, which helped us align expectations, refine our approach, and improve communication. NYC Mesh was successfully handed off in Spring 2024, while AAD’s CRM reached an MVP but required extensive testing and maintenance. To fulfill our commitment to AAD, we later developed a matching algorithm, ensuring a scalable and effective solution. These challenges ultimately strengthened our ability to manage projects, work with nonprofits, and deliver impactful technology solutions.

Second Wave of Projects and Expanded E-Board (Spring 2023)

As Blueprint grew, leadership transitions helped maintain momentum. In Spring 2023, Ezri Zhu and Miguel Merlin took over as VPs of Technology, succeeding Colleen and Jedd, and played a key role in sustaining the development of our website, Internal Wiki, and the rest of our technical infrastructure. At the end of the Spring 2023 semester, the club had made significant progress but had not yet achieved full recognition as an official student organization. However, through the dedication of the founding E-Board, Blueprint was granted probationary status in Fall 2023. This status allowed the club to operate with nearly all the rights and privileges of a fully recognized student organization, except for independent budget management. Blueprint also ran a fall recruitment cycle with teams to start in Spring 2024 in order to grow members and presence as a new organization, but this practice has since been eliminated to focus on having one strong recruitment cycle per academic year.

Continuing Momentum with the Second E-Board (Spring 2024)

By the time the Spring 2024 semester came around, Blueprint was in full swing—there were now four project teams, but the founding E-Board was still largely intact.It was time for the club’s first official E-Board elections, marking the transition to new leadership that would carry forward Blueprint’s legacy and continued growth. E-Board was restructured to include two VPs of Designs and a VP of Community Engagement, and also the restructuring of the VP of External operations role. At the end of elections, three founding E-Board members remained, with Christian taking over as President, and Ezri and Miguel remaining as VPs of Technology.

In Fall 2024, Blueprint thrived, reaching record-high attendance of approximately 60 students per event. With a full year as a probationary RSO completed, the club became eligible for full RSO status. During the presentation to the Student Government Association (SGA), Blueprint met all requirements with flying colors, securing its status as an official student organization at Stevens.

Blueprint Today

As we move through the Spring 2025 semester, Blueprint continues to thrive. Over the past year, we’ve successfully handed off two more nonprofit projects, with two more set for completion by the end of the academic year. We launched our website, overhauled internal documentation/processes, created merchandise, and expanded our design team’s presence. Our leadership initiatives, including the introduction of elected Freshman Representatives and our mentorship program, Blueprint Grow, have strengthened engagement and community within the club. We’ve collaborated with various campus organizations, and each event continues to attract more students. With Blueprint approaching its second official elections, we are continuing to adapt to better align with the organization’s growth and future needs.

To the founders, the founding E-Board, and everyone who has contributed to Blueprint’s journey—thank you for shaping what we’ve built today!