"Growing up in Columbus, the passion of being a Buckeye is so strong, and it makes me so happy to call Columbus my home." Saeed Sanaallah had his mind set on going to The Ohio State University since elementary school, and that is exactly what he is doing.
The Engineering Scholar knew he was going to be a Buckeye while growing up right down the road from the university in Dublin.
“Everyone knows Ohio State, and on Saturdays, everyone is wearing scarlet and cheering on the Buckeyes.”
Now, Sanaallah kicks off his day with a 20-minute commute from home to campus. With a rigorous schedule, the scholar is also challenged in the Honors engineering program. Living close to home gives him unique advantages to balance his classes and free-time.
Sanaallah is a third-year student studying civil engineering. His short commute gives him some unique advantages, including staying close to home while benefiting from a top engineering university. He is also familiar with Columbus and enjoys its college hometown atmosphere. Weekends for Sanaallah, like many engineering students, are often spent in the library or computer lab, tackling coursework and projects. However, when free time allows, he enjoys exploring Columbus and playing pickup soccer and basketball with friends.
During the school year, Sanaallah finds opportunities on campus as well. He has made many friends and connections from the scholars program. He is also involved in university clubs, including the Steel Bridge Team. This club competes across the country through the American Society of Civil Engineers' Student Steel Bridge Competitions.
Sanaallah has gained many opportunities and connections through his time in the Scholars Program because "networking has been huge in the internship process" for him. This past summer he found an internship opportunity with a Central Ohio based engineering company, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, by networking with another Engineering Scholars student. Sanaallah's internship focuses on general contracting and construction. His role involved working closely with engineers to interpret project specifications, perform calculations, and collect data to ensure subcontractor compliance. Reflecting on the experience, Sanaallah shared that he sees “a good future and potential in construction because there will always be jobs in construction."
Growing up in Columbus also gave Sanaallah a connection to his upcoming internship for the summer at Bohler Engineering. A childhood friend of his completed a co-op with Bohler and he was able to connect him with their hiring team. Sanaallah will be working in land development design and is "super excited for this internship because it will be [his] first design position." Bohler has offices across the country, as well as in Columbus for real estate land development, so this position opens him up to similar roles in Central Ohio and nationwide.
Sanaallah will graduate with his bachelor’s degree next year. He is still planning and looking to the future. When he graduates, he wants to work in the construction field and looks forward to going wherever job offers take him, whether that's staying in Central Ohio or somewhere new.
When classes have ended for the day, Sanaallah travels from the campus commuter lot back home. During the drive he reflects on his day and his time so far at Ohio State.
"I'm genuinely proud to be a student at Ohio State so that when I graduate, I get to say I am a true Buckeye".