Over 6,000 miles away from home, two brothers are learning how to adapt to life in a new country – together. Originally hailing from Naples, Italy, Gianpiero and Massimo Di Martire each pursued different educational pathways after high school but eventually landed on American collegiate water polo teams.

After being recruited to play for UCLA men’s water polo, a major bump in the road – the COVID-19 pandemic – kept Gianpiero sidelined for the entirety of his freshman year and forced him to redshirt. The unfortunate timing of Gianpiero’s admission to UCLA coincided with the onset of the pandemic and left him unable to attain a visa to move out West.