Juan initially enrolled in college in Cancun but decided that he wanted to swim in the United States. He started reaching out to coaches across the country, and King was one of the schools that reached out to him. “King found me,” Juan said. But the more he learned about the school he felt it would be a great place to develop as a student and an athlete.
Though he said, it was a “huge transition” because of the climate difference and leaving the large urban setting for the smaller city of Bristol. But he fell right into life at King because of the close bond he had with his teammates, many being other international students. And King was a small enough school where you were able to get around; everything was accessible. “I loved having everything so close together. I worked two jobs while I attended school.
“King has one of the most beautiful campuses,” Juan says. It is a statement that you hear from current and former students when describing the school. Juan graduated in three years and became a graduate assistant at Delta State in Mississippi. He hopes to eventually become an assistant head coach somewhere and then a head coach.
“I want to thank Finley Green in particular. She was the person that helped me the most when I was at King,” Juan said. His work ethic, determination, and gratefulness are attributes that make King proud to be his alma mater