The water polo game commences, and the roars of coaches, players, and referees echo across the pool. To an athlete who played five years on the water polo varsity team, alumnus Dylan Capiro hears this noise as the soundtrack to his eventual victory. To this day, incorporating his technique into an athletic journey in college.
Before graduating in 2025, Capiro was the captain of the varsity water polo team. It was during his senior year that the alum decided to make a splash, helping lead the team to regional quarter-finals.
Beyond athletic leadership, Capiro was extremely involved in student-run extracurriculars. He favored working with the robotics club, Science Olympiad, engineering club, and National Honor Society.
But out of every cherished memory, Capiro holds his time at Grad Bash being most dear. He had the ability to attend a field trip with the same friends he has known since elementary.
Capiro also appreciates his time in Tyler Kapela’s classroom, hanging out with the teacher’s dog—Amber; cheering at pep rallies; and competing in the annual Forza Stefano water polo tournament.
When he was newly graduated and taking his first steps into student involvement at the University of Central Florida (UCF), he had no idea of what would pique his interest.
There was Greek life and a roster full of new clubs he had not seen before—but what truly attracted him was the ability to play a sport he had known and loved for years.
When the opportunity to play water polo came back to him, he did whatever it took to get on the team.
Capiro joined during the spring semester, since the club was inactive during earlier periods of the year. As of his first few months of being on the team, he loves it, noting that it has brought him so much joy.
“Being part of the team has allowed me to build many connections and friendships,” Capiro notes.
More than friendships, this sport also brings the alumnus a new opportunity to learn through the eyes of a freshman, as he currently plays with students more experienced than him.
Now on his way towards being the club’s future treasurer, he is currently shadowing the president and vice president of the organization to learn more about it and how to run it.
Capiro adds, “The team is composed of many experienced players who have so much to teach me.”
But when he is not in the pool, he is involved in other clubs UCF has to offer. Within his first year, he joined the Asian Student Association, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, and UCF Baja, a dune buggy engineering club.
In the pool or on the Knights’ campus tile, Capiro is still working towards becoming a mechanical engineer. But in that time period, his camaraderie and commitment to his many extracurricular activities has made his college experience even more memorable and meaningful.
