Tarik Yousef, UAHS Class of 2001
Notable achievements at Upper Arlington High School
At UAHS, I was class treasurer for a few years. I was also known for spending my senior year restoring a VW bus and putting a Mazda engine into it! I also rowed with the crew team for two years — which was very memorable for me. I spent time doing Science Olympiad during my senior year, which was what got me into engineering.
College / career experiences
I went through the Ohio State University mechanical engineering program and also spent time on a minor in entrepreneurship (before the program was officially started). I then went on to be an engineer at Honda for five years, which was an excellent learning opportunity and really taught me how to push myself harder.
During college, I worked in real-estate management and later founded my primary business, T.Y. Fine Furniture, where we design and build solid wood furniture. I have two additional smaller businesses, one of which manages my commercial real-estate properties.
More recently, I have been working with a new endeavor – which is a 501(c)(3): COVID-19 Ventilator, Inc. As the name implies, we are designing and bringing to market emergency ventilators to assist with the current pandemic. Our goal is to sell ventilators at cost to hospitals that need them. Additionally, we plan to take any additional money raised or proceeds from sales to provide free ventilators to third world countries.
How did UA Schools prepare you for success?
I feel that UA Schools uniquely prepare students for life, in ways that higher education typically can’t. I live in UA so that my kids can also have the same advantages UA Schools offer.
Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2020