Rachel Schneider, 18, was excited, nervous, stressed, scared, happy and sad Monday as she packed her bags to leave for Israel, where she plans to live.

Her plans were to leave Cincinnati at 4:30 a.m. today and join 186 American Jews aboard a flight from JFK Airport headed for Israel. Schneider will be among 43 who will join the Israel Defense Forces after they arrive.

Schneider, a 2007 Walnut Hills High School graduate, said she is making the move because it is something she has wanted to do since age 11 when she first visited Israel with her parents.

"I plan to spend two years in the army and then go to college in Israel," said Schneider, of Amberley Village. She admits her decision is a tough one, but made easier because she has been to Israel, and she has extended family there.

"I was raised in a very Zionist household, and I see this as part of my ideological conviction," she said.

Serving in the military is part of the compulsory national service for all 18-26-year-olds coming to live in Israel.

The flights to Israel are arranged by Nefesh B'Nefesh, the organization that assists immigration to Israel from the U.K. and North America.

Schneider plans to study advertising design at the Academy of Art and Design in Bezalel, Jerusalem.

She spent much of last year in Israel as part of the Nativ conservative movement program that involves high school graduates planning their college careers.

Schneider was among the top 10 students academically at Walnut Hills, maintaining a GPA close to 4.0

She was part of the JAM students program (Junior Arts Motivators) that designed murals and painted them on the walls that lead to the cafeteria at Emanuel Community Center, Over-the-Rhine. The mural is a map of the United States that shows foods that are native to different states.

"I will miss these kinds of projects I was involved with in Cincinnati," Schneider said. She said she will also miss lots of friends, family and Graeter's Ice Cream.

Schneider is the daughter of Harry and Dianne Schneider. She has a younger sister, Nina, a junior at Walnut Hills.

"This is both a wonderful and difficult situation," said Harry Schneider. "It is wonderful that she made a strong decision, the product of many experiences she has had, but it is difficult not having her here."