Jesús David “Jesse” Vassallo was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. At the age of 11 his family moved to Miami, Florida, and later at 13, to Missión Viejo, California, where Jesse completed his secondary studies at Missión Viejo High School in 1979.  In 1981 he moved back to Miami, where he enrolled at the University of Miami and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.

He is the most accomplished swimmer in the Caribbean.  At the age of seventeen, he set his first world record, unbroken for the next four years.  At eighteen, he set his second world record, unbroken for the next three years. At the height of his career, President Jimmy Carter boycotted the 1980 Olympics to be held in Moscow and Jesse was unable to participate.  He was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and in Japan, an honor awarded to only 320 swimmers in the world.  In 1979 Sports Illustrated also placed him in the list of the top 10 athletes in the world.

Nonetheless, Jesse is more than an accomplished swimmer; he is also a conscientious citizen who has served office for four years at the Municipal Assembly in Ponce and five years as president of the Puerto Rican Swimming Federation.  After 23 years back home in Puerto Rico working in the family business and his own swim school, Jesse moved back to south Florida to do what he loves to do…  to coach.

SWIMMING ACHIVEMENTS:  1980 & 1984 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team / Former World Record holder in the 200mt and 400mt IM / Two Time World Champion / Two Times Pan-American Champion / National High Point Trophy Winner / 1978 World Swimmer of the Year / NCAA Champion / Sixteen (16) Times US National Champion / Honor Member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame / Honor Member of the University of Miami Hall of Fame

My coaching experience began back in 1995, as an Assistance Masters Coach and a Developmental Coach in Ponce, Puerto Rico for the Nadadores Ponce Leones Swimming Team. Later our family opened our own private swimming school called ýAqua Gymý in Ponce, Puerto Rico. I was responsible for most of the operations, and still taught swimming to kids of all ages and abilities.

During the eight year of operating the swim school, I became a certified member of the National Swimming School Association (NSSA) and American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) coach level II, taking courses and attending seminars all over the world from Nagoya-Japan, Monterey- Mexico, Waikiki -Hawaii, Fort Lauderdale- Florida, and San Juan- Puerto Rico.

My experience in teaching, includes all ages, from very young kids to older individuals. I have working experience with disabled persons and special kids. Iým also a certified aquaerobics instructor and have worked with people with special health conditions.

From 2009 to 2011 I served as a swimming instructor, teaching swimming and aquatic safety to kids and adults of all ages, specializing in infants.