When it came time for Mitchell Souliere-Lamb (MechE 2T4 + PEY) to apply to university, he thought of his mother and grandmother.
“That side of my family is Ojibwe, from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory,” says Souliere-Lamb.
“My grandmother was the first in her family to go to university, and she studied at U of T, as did my mother after her. They made sure I understood how important higher education is.”
Souliere-Lamb says that he was inspired to choose engineering after attending a hands-on science outreach booth organized by Queen’s University, which he encountered at a powwow.
He liked that engineering would enable him to pursue some of his favourite subjects, such as math and science, and that it seemed to offer a versatile career path.
“Not all engineering graduates become engineers, so I felt like I could use it in lots of different ways,” he says.
Souliere-Lamb wasn’t sure what kind of engineer he wanted to be, so he enrolled in TrackOne, a general first year program than enabled him to explore all the different disciplines.
He found himself leaning toward mechanical engineering, partly because of an interest in aerospace, but soon discovered a new passion for sustainable energy.
In the summer after his first year, he worked with Professor Amy Bilton (MIE) at U of T’s Centre for Global Engineering on a project related to sustainable agricultural methods for northern Indigenous communities.
“Professor Bilton and her team were collaborating on building a greenhouse for Cat Lake First Nation,” says Souliere-Lamb.
“They had the technical ability to get it built, but my role was more related to helping people understand how the technology worked and how to use it properly.”
After his third year, Souliere-Lamb started a PEY Co-op placement at Cambium Indigenous Professional Services. There, he worked with several different First Nations on the development of their community energy plans.
He also supported the First Nation Community Building Retrofit Program, initiated by Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator.
Outside of this work, Souliere-Lamb says he really felt a personal need to build community among his fellow Indigenous students on campus.
“At first, I really didn’t know any other Indigenous students in engineering,” he says.
“There are a lot of cultural clubs within Engineering, but there weren’t any Indigenous ones, because there are so few of us. I realized if it was something I wanted to see happen, I would have to get involved myself.”
Souliere-Lamb joined the U of T chapter of Engineers Without Borders as the Indigenous Reconciliation co-lead. He also connected with Professor Jason Bazylak (MIE), who is Métis, and through him, other Indigenous students as well.
“We held a couple of informal sessions, one about beading and one about sharing cultural food,” he says.
“We also got a group together to attend the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.”
In his fourth year, Souliere-Lamb created U of T’s first local chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, serving as its president.
“Again, it was hard to get enough people together, but I wanted to create the club because I wanted to increase our visibility on campus, to inspire and open opportunities for other Indigenous students who would like to become engineers,” he says.
This past April, Souliere-Lamb and another student, Connor Isaac (Year 3 MechE), participated in First Nations Launch, a rocket competition organized by NASA’s Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.
“We got a kit and an engine, and we had to assemble them into a rocket, which we got to launch near Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin,” says Souliere-Lamb.
“Our rocket reached 2,115 feet, which was pretty close to our target of 2,200 feet. It was great to meet up with Indigenous engineering students from all over the U.S., as well as two other teams from Canada as well.”
“Unfortunately, this looks like the last year this competition will be held, as the American government has frozen funding for programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
After completing his final exams, Souliere-Lamb travelled with a friend to Peru for several weeks before returning to Toronto in time for Convocation. He says that while he is not yet sure what the future holds for him, his time at U of T Engineering has helped prepare him in lots of different ways.
“I really enjoyed working with Indigenous communities on their sustainable energy plans, so I hope to continue doing that,” he says.
“But apart from the research and work experiences I had, I met a lot of great people who were talented and passionate about the same things I am.
“I was really able to grow my personal and professional network, and I know I’ll be able to continue to draw on that community going forward.”
– This story was originally published on the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering News Site on June 5, 2025, by Tyler Irving.