As the Turkish Airlines flight from Russia touched down in Houston on May 7, 2022, reality sank in for now-junior Alim Garipov.

“It felt very exciting because I was seeing a new country,” Garipov said. “But, then I realized that we're here, forever. It's time to focus on myself and focus on my future and start working hard. My parents sacrificed their lives in Russia for better opportunities for me and my sister. I had the mindset of coming to the United States to succeed and do my best.”

Garipov’s family primarily left Russia due to the danger of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War and a mandatory 12-month military conscription without pay that Garipov would have to face, in the midst of a war.

“I don't think it's the right thing to fight,” Garipov said. “I don't find any reason for that war right now. People are dying for no reason. I think people should stay in peace and be friends with each other all around the world. No matter the occasion, there's always a peaceful way to solve it. That's the only thing I'm rooting for – peace.”

“It was hard for my mom's parents to leave,” Garipov said. “But, we still talk to them through the phone every day to see how they are doing. It was also hard to leave my friends that I grew up with. My friend, Niyaz, was my best friend. We played soccer together all the time. But, I still talk to them and we’re hoping to meet after everything ends. When I call my friends from Russia, they usually say how much they miss me and all the sports we used to play together. However, because we stay connected they don’t feel very sad for being so many miles away from each other.”

Prior to coming to the United States, Garipov lived in a rural village called Baltasi in the Republic of Tatarstan. At 13, Garipov began attending boarding school in a city called Kazan, until he left for America. After arriving in the U.S., Garipov attended 8th grade at Pershing Middle School.

“Breaking into the environment around me at Pershing and finding new friends was a challenge because I was brand new,” Garipov said. “But, because I was a newcomer to the country, everybody came over to me and said ‘hi.’ That's how we became friends most of the time.”

For Garipov, learning English was his foremost challenge upon arriving in America.

“At the time, I barely spoke English,” Garipov said. “At first, I went to a church to learn English, then I picked it up fast. I started helping the other immigrants at the church to learn English, which helped to improve my English as well. But, I mostly improved it in middle school by speaking and reading.”

Evelina Garipov, Alim Garipov’s younger sister, faced the same struggles learning English and adapting as Alim did, but at a younger age. However, Evelina felt that her brother was instrumental in making the transition easier.

“He was always by my side at any time,” Evelina said. “If I felt sad or upset, he would always comfort me and make me feel better. Because he knew what I was going through the exact same thing he was, him just being on my side made it so much easier.”

Evelina also remembers traveling to support her brother in karate competitions and feeling proud when he would win. In Russia, Garipov had done karate from ages 5 to 12 until he injured his leg, which made doing karate damaging to his health. Garipov then switched to cross country skiing because his dad used to do it. But, because of having flatfoot, skiing was painful for Garipov. Finally, at the advice of his doctor, Garipov tried swimming. Now, he’s currently the captain of the varsity boy’s swim team.

“The doctors also suggested I start swimming because it’s helpful for knees, and you don't get any injuries from it," Garipov said. “And at the time, a new pool opened in the village, so I joined the swim team. I was not very good, at that time, because I was just learning how to swim. Eventually, when I came to Pershing, I joined their swim team.”

For Garipov, swimming helped him acclimate to his new environment. Through swimming, he became more disciplined and met new friends. At the end of his freshman year, Garipov decided to join a competitive club swim team, Texas Elite Swim Team. It was at this swim club where swimmer Adam Timm, a junior at Cinco Ranch High School, first met Garipov.

“The first time I met Alim was at a meet last year,” Timm said. “We met while we were in a warm-up pool in one of the far lanes in the corner. I wanted to meet him because people said he was really funny and hard working and I was drawn to that. I wanted to see what he was like. I think it's just his character of how he can make people feel like they're welcome and included that stands out.”

The biggest change moving to the U.S. had on Garipov was his drive to achieve his goals. Garipov believes that the advice of American motivational speaker and author David Goggins helped him change his mindset.

“I think I became more focused, more dedicated to becoming a better competitor in terms of swimming and academics,” Garipov said. “That pushed me to overcome my barriers. It helped me to be the person I am today. I don't like to give up and always push for the best. I basically just try to have the mindset of David Goggins.”

This change in character was also noted by Garipov’s friends and family. Timm, who has known Garipov for over a year, remarked that this shift was caused, in part, by Garipov’s ambition to attend a top college.

“I think he's become a lot more mature and a lot more serious,” Timm said. “He's really hard working now, he's always studying, and I really respect that in him. He hasn't always been like that. Before, he was more unserious, and he joked around a lot. Now, he's really hard working and knows what he should be doing.”