KGUN9 News interviews student on Raytheon Student Leadership Suite

Wednesday

A young woman with brown hair is interviewed by a reporter.

KGUN9 News aired a story on March 19, 2025, about the planned Student Design and Innovation Center at the University of Arizona. In that story, CAEM student Reuel Florendo answered questions about the planned building and the Raytheon Student Leadership Suite it will house.

Florendo, a junior and member of the University of Arizona’s chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America — a student club that won the national competition in November 2024 with a proposal for an airport expansion — told KGUN9 that the suite will promote collaboration among students from different disciplines and help them prepare for careers in engineering.

“It can foster new ideas that wouldn’t have been possible in more secluded spaces,” said Florendo.

The Student Design and Innovation Center will cover 100,000 square feet and house an advising center, collaborative classrooms and makerspaces, and will be home to College of Engineering clubs aimed at helping students with learning and career preparation. The college plans to begin construction on the center in the next two to four years.