Suluhu Labs
introduction
Suluhu Labs empowers high school students to become thoughtful, action-oriented changemakers. Using Human-Centered Design, we help students identify real community challenges, develop innovative solutions, and take meaningful action. Our goal is to cultivate empathy, creativity, and resilience, equipping students not just to dream of change but to make it a reality.
About the program
Suluhu Labs is an immersive 8-week program where high school students tackle real-world challenges in their communities using Human-Centered Design. Through collaborative workshops, hands-on projects, and mentorship from experts, students develop practical skills in research, design, teamwork, and communication, creating solutions that have a tangible impact.
Human-Centered Design (HCD), also called Design Thinking, is a structured approach to solving real-world problems by putting people first. The process teaches students to:
Empathize: Understand the experiences, needs, and perspectives of the people affected by a challenge.
Define: Clearly identify the core problem based on these insights.
Ideate: Brainstorm a wide range of possible solutions creatively and without judgment.
Prototype: Turn ideas into tangible forms that can be tested in the real world.
Test & Iterate: Gather feedback, refine solutions, and improve them based on what works.
About HCD
Through Suluhu Labs, the Meher Foundation aims to empower high school students to become proactive changemakers in their communities. The program helps students develop empathy by teaching them to understand the perspectives and needs of others, and it builds problem-solving and creative thinking skills through hands-on Human-Centered Design projects. Overall, the program aims to equip students with the skills to create practical, sustainable change in their own communities.
enacting change
Meet the team
Reggie Raye
Reggie Raye is an Innovation Studio instructor at the New England Innovation Academy and Design Director at TOMO, overseeing product design and manufacturing. He brings over a decade of experience across academia, startups, and Fortune 50 companies, with a focus on human-centered design at the intersection of technology and manufacturing. Reggie studied at Bard College and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and holds an MS from Carnegie Mellon University.
Matthew Kressy
Matthew Kressy is an innovator, designer, and educator dedicated to developing creative, human-centered leaders. He founded and directs MIT’s Integrated Design & Management (IDM) program, which blends engineering, design, and business to help professionals turn ideas into impactful ventures.
As founder of Designturn, he has created products for startups and Fortune 500 companies alike. Since 1999, he has taught at MIT Sloan, RISD, and Harvard Business School, championing an interdisciplinary, prototype-driven, and empathy-based approach to innovation.
Through his teaching and mentorship, Matt empowers students to solve real-world problems and lead with purpose
application form
Applications are currently closed. However, we will be reopening in the future as our programs continue to grow. We appreciate your interest and encourage you to check back soon.
program details
Program details will be available soon. Stay tuned!
contact us
For all questions or inquiries, please contact us at diya@meherfoundation.org.