TAMPA, Fla. - Every time Christian Perez dives into the water, something happens.

“When I jump into the pool, I forget everything,” he said. “All I’m doing is swimming.”

Tampa Prep head coach Jason Bowes has been blessed with a lot of talent - state champions, Division I swimmers, but Christian is in a class of his own.

“He’s a generational athlete that I get to work with,” Bowes said.

What makes Christian so special?

“I don’t even know where to start,” Bowes said.

The pool is a good place to start. Because that’s where Christian feels most at home. There’s something about the water that makes this former Tampa Prep captain dig a little deeper within himself.

He’s such a student of the sport,” Bowes said. “He’s like a sponge. He wants to take the feedback. He wants to take the criticism. He wants it because he just knows it makes him better.”

In the pool, the struggle is real. But it pales in comparison to the struggles Christian’s faced at such a young age.

“I come from a communist country where you don’t have many opportunities,” Christian said.

Christian and his family escaped Cuba when he was nine and eventually settled in Tampa. He watched his father work nearly 20 hour days to provide for the family.

“He always told me I brought you here for a reason and that reason is for you to be successful because you won’t have that in Cuba,” Christian said. “Right when we got to Tampa, our lives kind of changed for the better.”

In the United States, Christian found competitive swimming. But then faced obstacle after obstacle.

“We bought our first house when we got to Tampa and it burned a month after we bought it,” Christian said. “Everything burned down to the ground.”

His Tampa Prep and swim families stepped up to help, proving it really does take a village. They rallied then with financial support. And they rallied again when a positive Covid test knocked Christian out of the state championships last fall.

“How he just got integrated into the community has been so incredible, but it’s a true testament of the person he actually is,” Bowes said.

Now, he’s literally living the American dream. Christian’s off to Boston College where he will continue his swim career. He’s the first in his family to graduate from high school. And the first to go to college.

“I’m very, very excited for the next level,” Christian said. “It’s something I’ve never experienced before.”

“As much as he’s spread his wings through high school and middle school, I just think this is really where he is going to soar,” Bowes said.

Christian took the long road to get where he is today. He took the path less traveled. And it really has made all the difference in his life.

“I’m a pretty strong person,” Christian said. “I’ve gone through a lot of stuff most kids won’t go through. I’m a pretty strong person and I believe in myself a lot.

“I feel like every Cuban immigrant has a story. And it’s a very impactful story.”