Yasmine Moukadam’s dreams are sky high, literally.

And one day when she is piloting a massive P8 Poseidon plane as a United States Naval Aviator, it will have come from a tireless journey that began at Ohio State. Yasmine graduates Sunday with a degree in aviation engineering and will commission through the Naval ROTC as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy.

She’ll then attend Naval postgraduate school in Monterey, California before moving on to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, for flight school.

But what landed her at Ohio State is far from typical, considering she had never even heard of Ohio State until her junior year of high school. Born in Washington, D.C. and attending high school in England, a conversation with a family friend – retired Colonel Kevin Cullen – introduced her to Ohio State.

From there, she took a visit to the Columbus campus. In Yasmine’s words, that’s all it took.

“The second I walked on to campus, seeing the ’Shoe, the buildings, all the students and the Union, I ran into Brutus, it was awesome. Some people let us into the football stadium, the biggest stadium in the country and I got to walk on the field. It was really cool. I know it’s corny, but honestly, it was love at first sight. I didn’t want to see any other campus, I told my dad, this is my dream school.”

‘But that first year was rough’

“When I started here, I was 17 years old, coming straight from Europe to a 66,000-student campus. My graduating class was maybe 25 kids. I just grew up in very different experiences. And I was homesick. I went from seeing my parents every single day to never seeing them.

“I was my class salutatorian. But so were 500 other kids here. But the main reason I came here was I wanted to go somewhere that would push me to become better, with the space, the resources, the opportunities to do so. And this is that place.”

‘The people truly make this place’

“That first year, I joined the rowing team, and it was a huge learning experience for me. It was good to branch out of ROTC. I would go to clubs like Bucks for Baking or the Gymnastics Club. I’d find friends at dining halls and it made a huge difference.

“I got so involved in Greek life and it truly helped me like crack out of my shell a lot. I used to be pretty shy. But Greek life was amazing.

“Just putting myself out there. Clubs, events, Ohio State's doing something every day for the students, just meeting people and they become your friend.”

‘What helped was my major, for sure’

“Not many universities have this major (aviation engineering). And few have an airport, a renowned airport. The OSU Airport sees famous people and so many airlines operating out of it every single day. And the college is always bringing in people to talk to students. Even if I weren’t going the military route, I’d have no problem finding a job. That’s what I love about Ohio State, it sets you up for success.

“And it's like, are the professors phenomenal? Yes. It’s insane how much knowledge and experience they have. But they get to know you on a personal level. Every single one of the professors knows my dreams and they're always making themselves available for whatever I need. I don't think every university has that.”

‘The Presidential Host program has been one to remember’

“That program has helped me so much. Meeting so many different people. It’s incredible, deans and provosts. What university lets you be in the press box during football games to be with the president of your university? Meeting CEOs, major political figures and you’re getting paid? I’d never even get close to meeting people like that without being a presidential host.

“My friends are all like, how are you doing all this? And I just say, you gotta go to Ohio State.”

‘I am truly so proud to be a Buckeye’

“Not many other students can say their university even offers what we do. I did a study abroad trip to Brazil for free and it was incredible. I had no idea Brazil had such a huge role in the evolution of aviation.

“What makes me so proud to be a Buckeye, you’re in Brazil, or France, and you see someone wearing Ohio State and you ‘O-H’ them and they immediately give you the ‘I-O’. I was in Tennessee and saw like five Ohio State people in 48 hours. In Florida I saw Ohio State bumper stickers on Florida plates. Truly, we’re everywhere. You just get this intense pride from our alumni network.

“Ohio State just produces the best of the best. Oh yeah, it has my whole heart. I love this place.”