Iowa State Student Balances Academic Life with Competitive Skydiving

Originally posted on Outdoors on SI | By Maria Aldrich | Last updated May 7, 2025 11:30 AM ET

As a Ph.D. student studying aerospace engineering at Iowa State University (ISU), Ahmad Siddique diligently pursues his demanding studies. Outside of academics, he has another boundless passion involving thrill and adventure—skydiving. After experiencing his first tandem skydive alongside his brother, Siddique became fascinated with the sport and boldly began training in hopes of earning his skydiving license.

"What got me hooked on the goal of getting a skydiving license and getting into skydiving was watching YouTube videos and documentaries. There were people I grew up watching while living in other countries, probably because of my travels."

After stumbling upon videos of skydiving icons, some of whom included Gary Connery and Ludovic Woerth, Siddique immediately knew he wanted to pursue the sport. Since getting his first taste of skydiving, he has performed dozens of jumps and participated in collegiate competitions. Now serving as the president of the ISU Skydiving Club, he continues to put in countless hours toward his career in adventure sports.

Competitive Skydiver Balances Passion for Sport and Academics

Siddique, following in the footsteps of those he admires, has continued his skydiving journey and focuses on achieving substantial goals in the future. These goals require immense training and consistency.

"For the belly formation, we train in the wind tunnel where we define our body control formations," he explained. "For the canopy formation, we jump out of airplanes—there's no other way to do it. I recently tried the canopy formation last year for the first time with very good friends of mine. There are some really experienced coaches there [the dropzone]. That was a great experience."

As a member of the ISU Skydiving Club, Siddique has had the opportunity to train and compete against fellow students. When preparing for the collegiate nationals, he trains in the wind tunnel with real jumps, followed by the competition. While he admits balancing his studies with competitive skydiving is difficult, he remains up for the challenge.

"After graduation, I would love to keep progressing in the sport and eventually train to become a wingsuit pilot—that's why I got into the sport in the first place. I wanted to fly a wingsuit," said Siddique. "To do that, you need at least 200 skydives, so I'm waiting for that number to arrive."

As he approaches that magic number, he looks to the future and his hopes for both his degree and skydiving license. "Beyond my graduation and into my career, if life gives me an opportunity, I could work to improve the design of the parachute, enhance the safety mechanisms, or improve the canopy piloting techniques."

Siddique's journey has been impressive. To learn more about the United States Parachute Association (USPA) and skydiving competitions, visit the official USPA website.

This article first appeared on Outdoors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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