Alex Ballard was sitting in a classroom on the University of Tennessee campus in 2022 when he heard a roar from outside the window. Two F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jetswere practicing their flyover in advance of a home football game at Neyland Stadium.
At that exact moment, Ballard realized the direction he wanted to go in life. He wanted to join the Air National Guard and become a pilot.
Ballard will be graduating this week with a degree in mechanical engineering and immediately joining the Wisconsin Air National Guard to begin training with the 115th Fighter Wing. Ballard has received a pilot slot and will be learning to fly the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
“This is something that has been planned out for a few years now, so I’ve been mentally transitioning to the next step,” said Ballard, who will be stationed in Madison, Wisconsin. “Obviously, there’s going to be some nerves and anxiety, because you don’t know what to expect. But this is everything I ever wanted.”
Ballard was born into a military family. His dad was in the Navy and is now a flight instructor who also flies for United Airlines. Ballard didn’t think he wanted to follow in father’s footsteps and become a pilot. But he always displayed an aptitude for engineering, and his father encouraged him to pursue the path.
“I just had a mechanically inclined brain and thought I could fix things,” Ballard said. “I had a willingness to learn complex systems and that is what really pushed my dad to have me consider this track. I am forever grateful he saw that in me and did that.”
Academic improvements
Ballard’s older sister was attending UT as an aerospace engineering major, so he applied and was accepted. A three-sport athlete growing up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Ballard was a practice player for the Lady Vols women’s basketball team during his first few years on campus.
“My first semester of college was really a punch in the face because I didn’t have solid study habits,” Ballard said. “Trying to understand the college workload really got to me and my GPA was a 2.7 after the first semester. That was a real wake-up call to me.”
Knowing he would need to improve his grades to be accepted into the Air National Guard, Ballard began going to office hours, emailing professors if he didn’t understand things, and discussing subject matters with friends in his classes.
“It taught me that I needed to really focus and reach out for help if I needed it. UT provided that for me,” Ballard said. “I know there are some students in engineering fundamentals or calculus now who are having a hard time and feeling that engineering may not be for them. But just focusing and sticking it through and asking for help can have a huge impact.”
MAE Senior Lecturer Mark Barker had Ballard as a student in his statics, thermo, and heat transfer classes. As Barker got to know Ballard better through interactions during classes, he realized how passionate he was about achieving his career goals.
“His focus on and level of dedication to his mission is exceptional and far-reaching. It’s special to me when I get to see up close a student achieve an important goal and be rewarded for all their hard work,” Barker said. “I’ll sleep better knowing that Alex is out there providing defense for our nation.”
Flyover goals
Ballard believes his college experience at UT has made him more prepared to join the Air National Guard and ready to embrace any other opportunities that come his way.
“I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the exact same thing” he said. “Being at UT allowed me to get out of my comfort zone. I’m more of an introvert, but I developed an understanding within myself that it’s just my own mental blockade because no one else really cares.”
Once he graduates, Ballard will be sent to officer school and go through pilot training to prepare for regular missions as an active-duty Air National Guardsman. He is making a 12-year commitment to the Air National Guard.
Hearing the F-35 jets overhead four years ago gave Ballard an idea of what was possible. Two UT alumni were at the controls, and their example inspired him to dream big.
“My goal is to do a flyover at Tennessee once,” Ballard said. “Maybe I can have the same effect on a student that it had on me all those years ago.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])