Auburn's Ayana Yapo balances soccer, Air Force ROTC

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn freshman Ayana Yapo rose before dawn Wednesday to join her fellow Air Force ROTC cadets to climb the stairs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in memory of 9/11 first responders.

“Thinking about the people who had to climb those stairs only to lose their lives and give their lives trying to help somebody else,” Yapo said. “That stayed in the back of my mind the entire time.”

That afternoon, Yapo joined her Auburn soccer teammates for practice, a backup goalkeeper for nation’s No. 6 team.

All in a day’s work for the freshman from Phoenix.

“Being comfortable with being very uncomfortable,” Yapo said of her strategy for juggling her schedule’s stringent demands. “That’s my No. 1 thing.”

Auburn’s Air Force ROTC program combines two of Ayana’s passions.

“My love for aviation and knowing I could serve my country,” Yapo said. “That’s always something I’ve wanted to do.”

A childhood fascination with the documentary TV series “Why Planes Crash” forged in Ayana a determination to make sure they don’t.

“I’ve always wanted to be on the other side, to prevent as many plane crashes as possible,” she said. “Helping people through aviation.”

An aspiring airfield operations officer, Yapo seeks to oversee air traffic control and air base runway traffic.

“It’s been the same plan since seventh grade,” she said.

One of two women of color and the only student-athlete in her Air Force ROTC wing, Yapo wants to be a role model.

“I never really saw a lot of Black females in that position,” Yapo said of the pilots she observed when visiting Air Force bases. “Thinking I could be the first, I’ve never really been scared of that and always embraced that.

“That’s something I take with a lot of grace. It makes me humble knowing I’m the first and that others hopefully can and will follow. It’s something I take with a lot of pride, and it makes me very cautious with everything I do on a daily basis.”

On the pitch, Yapo learns from goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, a five-year starter.

“It’s the best-case scenario in my opinion,” Yapo said. “Every single day I soak up so much knowledge from her, (associate head coach) Ben (Madsen) and the other goalkeepers. It’s a blast watching everything Maddie does on and off the field and getting feedback from her. It’s been really helpful.”

When Auburn first contacted Ayana in high school about playing soccer on the Plains, she was intrigued.

“I actually didn’t know what Auburn was,” Yapo said. “I did not know where it was or that they were in the SEC. I was not very familiar with this side of the country at all.”

After researching Auburn’s soccer and aviation programs, Yapo scheduled a trip east.

“The visit really took it home for me,” said Yapo, impressed with Auburn University’s School of Aviation.

Head coach Karen Hoppa and Auburn Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corp Lt. Col. Michael Quinn pledged to work with Ayana so she could balance the demands of athletics, academics and ROTC training.

“Everything here set me up perfectly and fit into my plan perfectly,” Yapo said.

“What stands about Ayana the most is her maturity, on and off the field,” Hoppa said. “As a 16-year-old when we first started recruiting her in her junior year, she came on campus, and you would’ve thought she was 25.

“She had her whole life plan, she knew what she wanted to do, she knew why. She was very focused on achieving all her goals, from soccer, military and professional standpoints.”

Yapo enrolled in the spring, graduating a semester early from high school in Arizona and beginning a new chapter on the Plains.

“Southern hospitality, I really like it,” she said. “People are very kind here. I get ‘War Eagle’ no matter where I go in the country.”

When Auburn, seeking its eighth consecutive shutout, hosts Old Dominion Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT on Military Appreciation night, the Tigers need look no further than their bench to find a future military member deserving of appreciation.

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer