When my grandson Ian was a toddler he became enchanted with the world around him. He liked to run his hand across the soft grass and study the way water reacted to the flick of his hand. Most of all he enjoyed hearing his mother read to him and his vocabulary grew as he learned new words about the earth and the planets in our universe. While still sitting in a highchair he was able to name all of the planets and even talk about their moons. He was a curious little boy who thought of his Uncle Mike, an engineer who worked at a NASA contractor, as his hero. 

As Ian became older his fascination with mathematics and science only grew. He accompanied his Uncle Mike on a trip to the Texas Star party where he viewed the nighttime sky from powerful telescopes and learned how to track stars and planets from experts who had come from across the globe. He was the youngest person at the event and the adults who shared his interest in viewing the heavens encouraged him to keep gazing at the stars and learning more and more about them. 

Ian worked hard in high school hoping to qualify for a spot at a good college where he might major in aerospace engineering. Placing third in a class of many hundreds of students brought him offers from Rice University, Georgia Tech, University of Notre Dame and other outstanding cradles of learning. Ultimately he chose Notre Dame for its best overall program in aerospace engineering and its generous scholarships. He had chosen well because Notre Dame nurtured his interests just as his parents and his uncle had once done. 

Ian thrived at Notre Dame both academically and socially. He met many people whose interests coincided with his own. Best of all his professors realized his potential in the world of aerospace. For two summers he had internships with the Notre Dame Jet Propulsion lab and caught the eyes of mentors from NASA who help guide him into the future. One of them used his connections with multiple universities to help Ian find a PhD program that would sponsor his further education. 

Ian graduated from Notre Dame with a new confidence in himself that was very much encouraged by the professors and students that he met along the way. Ultimately Ohio State University recruited him for a five year program that will ultimately result in a PhD. There he will continue to grow and to learn with a fellowship that provides him with tuition and a salary. 

Ian chose well when he decided to attend Notre Dame. They helped him to grow in wisdom and age and grace. They nurtured his best qualities and helped him to realize that he was never alone. He formed friendships with students and professors that will no doubt last a lifetime. The school took in a boy and formed him into a mature young man who has clearly charted the life ahead of him. 

I always knew that the little boy who sat in his highchair talking about space and the planets and stars that make up the heavens was quite special and he has proven himself to be more than worthy of my estimations of him. Even better is the fact that Ian is a truly good person who loves the people around him deeply. He once rescued one of his roommates who was struggling with a sense of hopelessness. He tutored members of the Notre Dame football team when they encountered difficulties with math. He was the glue among the many personalities in his group of friends. He helped his younger brother adjust to college life when he later joined Ian at Notre Dame. Ian’s calmness and genuine love for the people around him never went unnoticed. Even the parents of his friends shared stories of the times that he kept their children from falling apart. 

Ian Martin will begin the next phase of his journey in Columbus Ohio this summer. He is looking forward to the future which will no doubt lead him back to the stars. His intellect, confidence and loving nature will most certainly take him wherever he ultimately chooses to be. As a grandmother I am so proud of all of the hard work that Ian has done but even more joyful that he is a truly loving and thoughtful person. I wish him the best and look forward to following his journey. The little boy who dreamed big dreams is on his way to making an impact on the world.