Sina Sinbari, a student at the School of Law, died April 20. He was 24.
Sinbari, a volleyball player who played for the University of Charleston and Fairleigh Dickinson University during his undergraduate years, planned to pursue athletic management after graduation. Sinbari always put others before himself and brought people together, said Brandon Bostel, who played alongside him on the University of Charleston’s men’s volleyball team.
Sinbari often greeted people with a hug and easily connected with others, Bostel said.
“He had this really inviting smile and made you feel comfortable and welcome,” Bostel said. “When he started laughing and smiling, everyone was.”
On the volleyball court, Sinbari quickly switched from relaxed to serious, Bostel said. Nica Rahmati, Sinbari’s childhood friend, added that Sinbari always wanted his team to win – regardless of whether he was playing.
Sinbari was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, desmoplastic small round cell tumors, that forms in abdomen and pelvic tissues in August 2022.
Sinbari often exercised and walked laps inside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after treatment, his friend Ash Karimi said. He added that Sinbari – who began receiving treatment at UCLA while attending FDU – would fly across the country to go through chemotherapy in Los Angeles and attend 7 a.m. volleyball practices in New Jersey, all in a few days.
“He had a fire in his eyes,” Bostel said. “He was ferocious and driven.”
Karimi said he spent his favorite moments with Sinbari laughing for hours in his hospital room. The nurses who cared for Sinbari were often drawn to him because of his kindness, Karimi added.
Rahmati said Sinbari pushed him to improve his work-life balance. Paya Vatanshenas, Sinbari’s friend, added that Sinbari taught him how to have fun.
Sinbari played in his first collegiate match in January 2025, earning a point on his first hit, Karimi said. FDU reached the NEC conference semifinals that year, with Sinbari playing in 13 matches across the season.
“No matter how good I thought he was being at something or how disciplined I thought he was working at something, he always kept telling us, ‘I have to be better than this,’” Bostel said. “Those echo in my brain now. I hear them all the time.”
After graduating from FDU, Sinbari was accepted to the School of Law, with a goal of making it to UCLA’s top-ranked men’s volleyball team, Karimi said. Although UCLA’s roster was full, Sinbari took extra units to complete his master’s degree in one year and was on track to graduate in May.
Bostel said he and Sinbari’s other friends created a volleyball team called Team Sina Strong in 2023. The team competed annually at the Charlie Saikley 6-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament in Manhattan Beach – a two-day competition that attracts thousands of high-level players across the country, Bostel added.
Bostel said Sinbari continued to find joy in playing volleyball on Team Sina Strong, which made it to the playoffs in its first year. Team Sina Strong plans to continue competing in Sinbari’s honor, Vatanshenas added.
“He loved teamwork, camaraderie, drive,” Bostel said. “He loved that feeling of having to go to the gym and put in work. That was how he defined himself.”
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