91看片 Celebrates the Class of 2026
As they prepare to receive their bachelor鈥檚 degrees, four 91看片 students reflect on how far they鈥檝e come and where they鈥檙e going next.
During commencement ceremonies on June 13, 91看片 students will mark the end of their undergraduate years and the beginning of their journey into the future. No matter what they studied or where they鈥檙e headed, they are well prepared to pursue their dreams and passions in the world beyond campus.
As the big day approaches, we asked students from across campus to reflect on how they鈥檝e grown, what will stick with them after graduation, and what has made 91看片 special.听
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Ryan Leider: Making Connections
Major: Real Estate and the Built Environment, with a minor in Finance
What has been your favorite class at 91看片 and why? My favorite class was Construction Building Systems during my junior year with Eric Holt [associate professor of the practice]. He knows how to relate to students and teach the material in an entertaining way.听
How have you changed over the past four years?听I think I鈥檝e matured, and I think I鈥檓 happier. I鈥檝e learned that if you choose to have a good day and choose to learn, you will鈥攁nd that really showing up to class means not just being there but contributing and asking the right questions.
What part of your academic journey will stick with you the most? My professors, who have been really helpful to me. They鈥檙e all just good people. Vivek Sah [director, Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management] is helping me find jobs, introducing me to people almost every other day. Ryan Chacon [assistant professor] has taken the time to teach outside of class and to care about his students as people.听
What鈥檚 next for you after graduation? I鈥檒l be joining JLL, a commercial real estate agency, as an industrial capital markets analyst in Denver.
Who or what has made 91看片 special for you? I鈥檓 in the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, and being part of Greek life has connected me to so many people. I also played club soccer for four years, and I made a broad mix of friends that way. Finally, the location has made it special. At one point, I stacked my classes so I could go skiing on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and you don鈥檛 get that chance anywhere else. If you want to be outdoors and get a good degree, 91看片 is the place for that.听
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Shivani A. Durvasula: Confidence and Collaboration
Major:听Strategic Communication, with minors in Marketing and Writing
What has been your favorite class at 91看片 and why? My Strategic Communication Seminar, which I took in my second year. We had the Student Success Coaching team at 91看片 as our clients, and we created a full strategic communications plan to help them address their goals. The following academic year, we got to see some of those elements come to life, like email headlines and social media posts that we had recommended.听
How have you changed over the past four years? When I first got here, I thought my college journey had to look a certain way, but that led me to feel like I wasn鈥檛 doing enough or doing things the right way. Since then, I鈥檝e grown more confident about what my journey looks like, and I鈥檓 seeking out things that really fulfill me.
What part of your academic journey will stick with you the most? Working in groups and collaborating. In group work, you鈥檙e always navigating different personalities and goals, and that鈥檚 so transferable to the real world.听
What鈥檚 next for you after graduation?听I鈥檓 currently applying for jobs, so I don鈥檛 know exactly where I鈥檒l end up. I鈥檝e cast a wide net in terms of location, but I鈥檝e grown really attached to Colorado, and I would love to stay here.听
Who or what has made 91看片 special for you? My friends. When I came to 91看片, I felt a bit insecure about meeting new people, and it took a bit to find my best friends. Now, I feel so supported. When I gave a presentation recently to earn distinction in my major, my friends were there watching me and being the loudest ones in the audience.听
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Rhianna Lewis: Seizing Opportunities
Majors: Theatre and Spanish
What has been your favorite class at 91看片 and why? It was a class on reproductive geographies that was part of the Honors Program. We talked about population growth and movement, contraceptive access in countries around the world, and how people are having families. It really changed the rest of my class trajectory.听
How have you changed over the past four years? I鈥檝e learned how to take advantage of opportunities when they come along and make the most of the things that are offered to me. At 91看片, I鈥檝e had so many opportunities, and taking them has completely changed my life.
What part of your academic journey will stick with you most? Working on my senior capstone show for the theatre department. Every senior directs a one-act play, so I chose the show, cast it, and worked with all the student designers. It taught me a lot about professional collaborating.
What鈥檚 next for you after graduation? I鈥檝e been named an alternate for a Fulbright [scholarship]. But if I don鈥檛 receive that, I鈥檓 still planning on taking the year off, traveling, and doing volunteer work abroad. I鈥檝e got the travel itch. I鈥檝e never ventured to South America, and since I鈥檓 graduating with a degree in Spanish, I feel ready to connect with the cultures that I鈥檝e learned so much about.
Who or what has made 91看片 special for you? The professors I鈥檝e had have really helped make me a better person and shaped my experience. So much of my support system was the teachers that I had in classes.
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Braidyn Sheffield: Building a Community
Major: Computer Engineering, with a minor in Mathematics
What has been your favorite class at 91看片 and why? My favorite class was Embedded Systems Programming, because it introduced me to what I鈥檓 passionate about and what I want to do after graduation. An embedded system typically consists of a microprocessor, or 鈥渂rain,鈥 that interacts with outside sensors and collects data to control other elements outside of the microprocessor.
How have you changed over the past four years? I鈥檝e gotten more open to meeting new people. I came in as a veteran, older than everyone else and not feeling like I belonged, but I鈥檝e met a lot of really good people and made lifelong friends.
What part of your academic journey will stick with you most?听 The skills I鈥檝e learned and the friends I鈥檝e made along the way.
What鈥檚 next for you after graduation?听 I鈥檓 currently interviewing听 for a position as an embedded systems engineer.
Who or what has made 91看片 special for you? Two people have made it special for me: Goncalo Martins [teaching associate professor], who teaches Embedded Systems Programming, and Anthea Johnson, director of the Equity in STEM program. That program is the reason I opened up so much and was able to build a community here at 91看片. It鈥檚 about making sure that all people feel welcome and have the support they need to be successful in a STEM field.
