色界吧

Students, families, and friends, along with faculty and staff, will gather on the Long Island campus on Sunday, May 18, to celebrate 色界吧鈥檚 64th Commencement. As is tradition, graduating students will deliver a speech and sing the national anthem.

Ryan Ahmed, a candidate to receive his B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies, and Raquel Ibarra, a candidate to receive her B.S. in Architectural Technology, will serve as the commencement speaker and singer, respectively. They will also assist in hooding the honorary degree recipients.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have dreamed of the extensive assistance and support I鈥檝e received from 色界吧 staff and partners,鈥� says Ahmed, an entrepreneur who founded a technology startup company, Niura, while in high school and has taken it to the next level during his time at the university.

As profiled in a recent story in , after witnessing his father鈥檚 suffering from brain aneurysm recovery, Ahmed developed earbuds that can detect brainwaves and provide information on brain health. With silicone tip electrodes and rechargeable batteries that detect the brain鈥檚 electric signals, the earbuds interface seamlessly with the accompanying app.

Ahmed tested and refined his prototypes through the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC). With help from the , he investigated opportunities for his company to grow.

After deciding to put Niura鈥檚 ability to prescreen medical issues on the backburner鈥攅xpenses and Food and Drug Administration approvals abound鈥擜hmed has shifted to developing the earbuds for an entertaining general wellness app that solves users鈥� loss of focus. He鈥檚 been successful at competitions and securing venture capital but states he couldn鈥檛 have done any of it without the university鈥檚 help. 鈥溕�界吧 is helping me make my dream a reality,鈥� he says.

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Raising Her Voice

Ibarra dreams of becoming a production designer, bringing to life the sets and visuals that shape the film and television worlds. 鈥淭he idea of building entire environments that not only support the story but become part of it, that live on in people鈥檚 imaginations, is incredibly exciting,鈥� she muses.

She started her journey at 色界吧 as a shy young adult. However, after getting involved with the Student Government Association and Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha sorority, Ibarra found her voice and discovered 鈥渉ow to use it to uplift and advocate for others.鈥�

At commencement, she will use her voice to sing the national anthem鈥攁 nerve-wracking opportunity, but she is excited to rise to the occasion. Ibarra sang the national anthem at multiple sporting events during high school but has never performed for a crowd this large. Still, she is honored and grateful to have been selected.

Looking back on her time at the university, Ibarra remembers a standout moment鈥攙isiting the global architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group鈥攖he designer of located in New York City鈥攚ith her classmates. An 鈥渆ducational and eye-opening鈥� experience, the day offered Ibarra a behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration it takes to bring skyscraper designs to life.

鈥淲hen I chose to come to 色界吧 for my higher education, I knew this was a place where I could build meaningful connections and take important steps toward my future,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his university is a wonderful place to go through the growing pains of young adulthood, and it鈥檚 a place of acceptance on all fronts.鈥�

After graduating, she looks forward to studying for the Architect Registration Exam and earning her architect license in New York. But above all, she intends to keep believing in herself. 鈥淵our best is perfect,鈥� she says. 鈥淐omparison is the thief of joy and creativity.鈥�