The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Wild blue yonder awaits graduate
Wickliffe High School graduate is taking off for USAF pilot training
The cadet struggled to take a deep breath because it felt like his heart was about to pound out of this chest.
Then he remembered how badly he wanted to become a U.S. Air Force pilot and jumped full force into his goal.
As soon as his body was submerged in the cold water, after jumping from a 10-meter platform, he could feel himself getting stronger already.
Finishing his last semester at United States Air Force Academy, 2017 Wickliffe High School graduate Jesse Sidhu is earning his bachelor’s degree in computer science and preparing for pilot training in the Air Force.
Upon graduation on May 26, Sidhu will be a second lieutenant and qualified to begin pilot training, which lasts one year.
The USAF Academy is one of three commissioning sources for the USAF, along with Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and Air Force Officer Training School, he explained.
“The academy puts cadets, like myself, through rigorous courses on top of military and physical training, like water survival classes, boxing and combatives,” Sidhu said. “In these four years, the academy wants to produce officers of character that will go out and lead the Air Force.”
He said he can’t remember a time when he didn’t want to be a pilot. It’s been his life’s goal.
“For some reason, it was always in me,” Sidhu said. “I was 5 years old and building airplanes with Legos. My dad would take me to sit on the side of the freeway and watch the Cleveland Air Show.”
In seventh grade he started looking into how to actually become an Air Force pilot, going from a dream to a reality. From there, he found out about the Air Force Academy, discovering that most of the pilots come from the academy.
“The first step was getting in to the academy,” Sidhu said. “So it’s always been a goal to get here. I remember taking the ACTs four or five times trying to get that score up. I would get up at 5 a.m. and run, then I’d go to class. After school, I’d run again, then on to band practice or play practice. I was always doing something so I could get to this place.”
He said all the material he read and videos he
watched to learn about the academy could not have prepared him for the “slap of reality” once he arrived.
“You never know what’s going to happen in basic training,” Sidhu said. “You do a lot of physical things that make you really uncomfortable. For example, swimming is not something that I’m comfortable with, but I had to jump off a 10-meter platform into the water and swim under a bulkhead in order to graduate. I always ask myself, ‘Is this one little thing that’s going to make me uncomfortable really worth giving up my life’s dream?’ It never is.”
He said everyone has a plan until they “get punched in the face.” He had to get used to being uncomfortable because going for something so big requires a lot of hardships along the way.
“How does a sword get stronger? It goes into the fire,” Sidhu said. “You beat on it and beat on it, then you stick it back into the fire. Getting stronger and building more mental resilience is all about doing those things that make you uncomfortable.”
For Sidhu, that started in high school.
Wickliffe High School Cross County Coach Logan Moritz taught Sidhu that achieving the goal of being a great runner is about making a schedule and setting smart goals. He taught him that any one can work hard but if you’re not working hard toward something,
then ask yourself what you are really doing.
“I set the goal of always running outside no matter the weather,” he said. “The coldest weather I ran in was in 2015 when it was minus-26 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill. But by then, I was used to it.”
Sidhu’s parents, Ronny and Kathryn Sidhu, inspired him and his three brothers to do something that “gives back to the country” and to work hard. Having come to America from India at the age of 13, his father, a maintenance mechanic, instilled in his four sons a passion for the opportunities and the freedom available in America.
“It’s more than just a flying dream,” Sidhu said. “It’s also about America being the greatest country in the world and I’m willing to defend that with my life.”
A significant support in his life is longtime girlfriend, now fiancé, Leah Overberger.
“We’ve been together since middle school,” he said. “Imagine telling someone when you’re in eight grade, ‘Hey, I want to be a pilot and I’m going to do anything it takes to get that.’ Think about how much a person changes through middle school, high school and college. We’ve been through a lot together. I can talk to her about anything.”
Sidhu said she is “super smart” and in nursing school aspiring to be a nurse practitioner or working with Veterans Assistance.
Remembering his days as a Wickliffe student, he wants to encourage his community to not stop dreaming or let other people telling you what you can or cannot do, define what you want to do in life.
“If someone says they want to be an astronaut, that’s not something to laugh at,” Sidhu said. “Instead say, ‘Hey, let’s see how we can make this happen.’ “
Looking back at himself when he was an eightgrader with a dream, he understands the importance of having a good support system, especially in that time of life when a person is transitioning from being a child to an adult.
“A big thing you can do is surround yourself with people that are trying to excel as well is probably the best thing you can do at that age,” Sidhu said.
His mother, Kathryn Sidhu, noticed at an early age that he always strived to be his best self, whether it was in schoolwork, running, playing drums, or just being a good person, she explained.
“He can think outside the box and is a natural leader,” she said. “We are beyond proud of Jesse for reaching his goals through self-motivation, drive, focus, and pure determination. My greatest joy is seeing Jesse happy and successful in realizing his dreams, whatever they may be.”