Graduate pursues dream of flying, serving nation
Air Force ROTC cadet Mareem Al-Mosawi flies as a student pilot during her time at Arizona State University.
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable spring 2026 graduates.
A daughter of refugees who fled Iraq in the 1990s following the Iran-Iraq War is one of the most accomplished of the over 2,000 military-connected students graduating from Arizona State University this spring semester.
First-generation college student Mareem Al-Mosawi will be commissioned as a military officer, along with 32 other Air Force cadets, during a ceremony on Tempe campus Tuesday. She then will head to pilot training, where she will begin her journey toward becoming a pilot, a goal that stemmed from her childhood dream of space.
“It all started because I wanted to be an astronaut, but it’s all about serving now,” Al-Mosawi said.
Al-Mosawi served this semester as deputy commander of the 250-member student wing for ASU's Air Force ROTC Detachment 025, “The Flying Devils.” The physics major with a minor in Arabic from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences attended ASU on a full-ride academic scholarship and received other scholarships to take civilian pilot lessons while at the university.
“I've gotten a few flight scholarships, a total of almost $8,000 through the program, and that's what really motivated me,” said Al-Mosawi, who has logged 22 flight hours as a student pilot. “I took the opportunity to fly, learned a little bit about it and did really good on my tests. ...
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ASU first-generation student and Air Force ROTC cadet Mareem Al-Mosawi poses for a portrait at the Tempe campus on May 6. After graduating this month, Al-Mosawi will enter pilot training — a competitive distinction earned by only a portion of cadets nationwide.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
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Mareem Al-Mosawi after earning her parachutist jump wings at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Air Force
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Mareem Al-Mosawi served as the deputy commander of the 250-member student wing during the spring semester for ASU's Air Force ROTC Detachment 025, "The Flying Devils."
Courtesy photo
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ASU Air Force ROTC Det 025 cadets Elizabeth Ratterree (left), Mareem Al-Mosawi (center) and Tyreece Watkins chat near Hayden Lawn at the Tempe campus on May 6.
Photo by Samantha Chow/Arizona State University
“I had zero (flight hours) going into the program, but the program was so kind to give me some scholarships.”
After joining ROTC and being introduced to all the Air Force career possibilities, along with learning about the competitiveness of the pilot selection process, Al-Mosawi started having second thoughts about flying and feared failing.
“It's so competitive, I don't know if I can do it, so I kind of backed off from that dream,” she said. “But after looking at what I was able to achieve as a cadet, my performance and competence, it gave me the confidence to be like, 'No, Mareem, you can absolutely do this.' So yeah, I've flown a little bit.”
Al-Mosawi hopes to fly HC-130s, a modified version of the original C-130 cargo aircraft, used for all-weather recovery missions and for operating in austere airfields and denied territory, according to the Air Force.
“I'm keeping my doors open; I think I'm too short to fly fighters,” Al-Mosawi said. “I'm waiting for my height waiver to come in, but I'm really tied to the mission of an HC-130. They have an awesome mission, more humanitarian and special warfare.”
Because of her fluency in speaking Iraqi Arabic, Al-Mosawi tested in modern standard Arabic to apply for the Air Force Language Enabled Airman Program, a volunteer, career-long initiative that develops officers to help the national defense mission through enhancing global partnerships, interoperability and strategic communications.
Despite a demanding schedule as a full-time student, ROTC cadet leader and part-time Starbucks employee, Al-Mosawi, who grew up in Glendale, Arizona, also cares for her mother, who is visually impaired and speaks only Arabic.
“She hasn't had many opportunities to leave the house because she's blind and has been taking care of us as we grew up, so she hasn't learned English, so I have to know Arabic,” Al-Mosawi said. “As the oldest daughter who can speak English and the only one who drives in my household, I've been taking care of my family, taking them to doctor's appointments, scheduling them — it's all on me.
“All this time management has provided awesome lessons. It has been super rewarding, and I believe it's going to prepare me for the Air Force.”
In addition to earning a full-ride ROTC scholarship, Al-Mosawi was a Flinn Scholar semifinalist out of Ironwood High School in Glendale and a Pell Grant recipient. Flinn semifinalists qualify for designated scholarships from the state's three public universities.
“The scholarships have been awesome,” Al-Mosawi said. “Having that system to support me has been incredible.”
Al-Mosawi is the first in her family to graduate from college and pursue a career. She is grateful for the opportunities during her time at ASU, such as earning her parachutist wings at the Air Force Academy in Colorado and participating in a four-month Air Force study abroad program.
She now heads to Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma to begin undergraduate pilot training, the first step toward her dream of flying that began when she was 12 while researching the best path to become an astronaut.
“It's definitely like 'wow,' a new chapter in my life, a new chapter for my whole family,” Al-Mosawi said. “As the first daughter born here, growing up in two different cultures, I didn't know where I was heading in life. Because of living in America, I've had opportunities open for me that my family didn't have. I'm obligated to find success.
“I made a lot of friends through the (ROTC) program; it gave me a sense of purpose, sense of leadership and taught me so many skills.”
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