For these two Purdue University graduates, an online degree was the key to innovation, discovery

Earning a graduate degree from Purdue University is no easy feat — especially for graduates Aakash Gupta and Adrien Ibarra, who both earned Purdue graduate degrees online while working full time and balancing families, hobbies and passions.

Throughout their graduate school journeys, both men dreamed of the day they’d be able to celebrate their accomplishments on Purdue’s campus during commencement. This past May, that day finally came. Gupta and Ibarra both traveled to campus from their homes in Columbus, Indiana and Dallas, Texas, respectively, to celebrate with their families and don graduation robes. They also sat down with Purdue to speak about their online student experience.

How a great-grandmother’s wisdom inspired Aakash Gupta to earn his doctorate

Aakash Gupta grew up in Agra, India, and it was there that he first developed a passion for challenging himself. At just 14 years old, he earned a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for playing guitar for 53 consecutive hours. After this record was challenged, he broke it again and again — upping his playing time to 73 hours and then 113 hours.

He credits his great-grandmother with inspiring him to take on new challenges. Growing up, she always emphasized two pieces of advice: focus on your education and be kind.

Gupta has taken both of those aphorisms to heart by focusing on schoolwork and trying to give back to his community. He is a 2026 graduate of Purdue University’s online Doctor of Engineering program, a systems validation leader at Cummins, and the engineering department chair at Ivy Tech Community College, Columbus. At Cummins, he seeks to use his engineering expertise to reduce the automotive industry’s carbon footprint by building more efficient engines; and at Ivy Tech, he works with Indiana students to ensure they have the skills and confidence they need to be successful at universities like Purdue.

In his doctoral program, Gupta got to conduct research that related back to his goal of improving efficiency at Cummins. He also got to work with distinguished faculty who had experience in different areas of engineering, including his advisor, a mechanical engineering expert who had connections to Purdue in Indianapolis’ motorsports engineering program. Conducting research in these areas expanded Gupta’s technical expertise and gave him the skills and confidence he needed to spearhead innovation at Cummins.

Gupta also helps support Ivy Tech’s Green2Gold program, a partnership between Ivy Tech and Purdue that helps community college students transfer into Purdue’s bachelor’s programs in engineering. This summer, he launched a paid research experience for students in the Green2Gold pathway. Through this program, he hopes to show students how exciting research can be and, in the process, give them the skills they need to excel as Purdue students. The research program has produced amazing results so far, and Gupta and his students will be presenting their findings at an upcoming conference.

How taking a risk put Adrien Ibarra on the bleeding edge of technological innovation

Adrien Ibarra would not describe himself as a risk taker, but he took a risk when he decided to apply to Purdue University’s online Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (AI). At the time, generative AI was still a new technology, and Purdue’s AI master’s program was also new. But, as Ibarra saw the world around him changed by AI, he realized he wanted to be on the “bleeding edge” of the emerging technology. He knew Purdue could help him get there.

So, Ibarra took a leap of faith and landed back in graduate school. He chose to major in the Master of Science in AI’s technical track: AI and machine learning. In this track, he developed coding expertise and learned what it was like to build AI technology firsthand. He figured these skills would be indispensable in his career as a cybersecurity professional. The work was difficult, but the program made it possible for Ibarra to balance schoolwork with his job and other responsibilities.

In addition to being a corporate professional, Ibarra competes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which brings him to competitions all over the country. The program’s flexible online format gave Ibarra the wiggle room he needed to do assignments on the road or between tasks. His professors were always understanding, and while his busy schedule sometimes felt overwhelming, he took the business in stride.

When Ibarra was finally cleared for graduation, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it to campus for commencement. His girlfriend ultimately gave him the push he needed to make the trek from Dallas, Texas to West Lafayette, Indiana. Now, he says the trip was more than worth it — he loved seeing Purdue’s campus and getting to don his “first generation” graduation sash, an honor that commemorates the journey Ibarra took from being the first in his family to complete a college degree to earning his master’s from this trailblazing program.