Tom Lombardi graduated from Upper Arlington High School in 2006. Twenty years later, he runs the place.

Lombardi, now principal of the 1,908-student high school, reflected on his full-circle journey in a "Golden Bear Reflections" profile published Sept. 3 by Upper Arlington Schools and the Upper Arlington Alumni Association.

"To think just a short 20 years ago I was a kid in the halls, and now I get to lead the building, the teachers and really the community at the high school level is really the honor of a lifetime," Lombardi said.

As a student, Lombardi participated in student council, athletics and Kickin' It Live, the student news program broadcast on WARL. He said those experiences, combined with what he learned in classrooms, gave him a well-rounded foundation.

A senior-year assignment set his course

Lombardi said his interest in education took root during his senior year in an English class taught by Dameion Wagner. A career exploration assignment forced him to think seriously about his future. He said that assignment made him realize education was what he wanted to pursue.

He enrolled at Ohio University and graduated in 2010 with an integrated social studies degree, planning to teach. But teaching jobs were scarce at the time, especially in social studies. Lombardi took a different path for several years before eventually finding his way back to education and to Upper Arlington.

He said he wanted to return what he received as a student. Lombardi credited his K-12 years in the district with shaping his career, saying the lessons he gained in classrooms, athletics and clubs drove him to give that same experience back to the community and to other students.

Lombardi's appointment date and the positions he held between Ohio University and his return to UA were not detailed in the district profile.