Rafad’s Path from ESL to CEO

My name is Rafad Shlla (Raf Sabawi), and I am a fourth-year student double majoring in International Business Management and Entrepreneurship at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York City.

I immigrated to the United States from Iraq at the age of eight. I arrived without knowing English and was placed in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, where I learned to navigate both a new language and a new culture. With strict, protective parents and the limitations of my asylum status, independence often felt out of reach. However, my parents instilled in me the drive to excel and education quickly became my pathway forward.

Pace has given me the freedom to grow, to lead, and to explore opportunities that once felt unattainable.

Through discipline and resilience, I became a top student throughout high school and receiving a full-ride scholarship to Pace marked a turning point in my life. Pace has provided me with more than an education. Pace has given me the freedom to grow, to lead, and to explore opportunities that once felt unattainable.

At Lubin, I have studied in the heart of one of the world’s most competitive business hubs. Through the Pace Education Abroad Program, I also had the chance to leave the United States for the first time to study at City, University of London. That experience was both academically enriching and personally transformative.

A quote from Joseph Lubin, displayed on a wall at Pace, continues to guide me: “It was financial freedom from poverty. And I felt that education was definitely a necessity as a stepping-stone in that direction. And I never stopped learning, going to school. Never.”

Looking back, Pace has changed the trajectory of my life.

Those words remind me that education is about more than degrees. It is about creating freedom, growth, and meaningful impact. Inspired by that belief and the energy of New York City, I founded Elora App in June 2024, a tech startup designed to empower overlooked professionals in the beauty industry with a platform to thrive. My vision is to scale Elora into a global company while continuing my academic journey with an MBA.

Looking back, Pace has changed the trajectory of my life: from ESL student to scholar, from limited independence to global experiences, from dreaming of opportunity to building a company. Most importantly, Pace has given me resilience, courage, and the confidence to transform challenges into opportunities.