Born in Berlin, Germany, and having lived in a combined eight countries in all, Egyptian sibling swimmers Adel and Samira El-Adawy have experienced many drastic changes in their lives. But despite routinely having to adapt to new cultures and languages, the two have managed to keep swimming as their one constant, which is a big reason why The College of Wooster has become their new home.

It's obvious that Adel and Samira's father has played a big role in where they are now. As a teenager, he competed on the Egyptian Junior National Water Polo Team, and now he works as a diplomat in the Egyptian Foreign Service, which he has done ever since the siblings were born. His job requires him to move quite regularly, causing Adel, Samira, and their mother and little sister, to have lived in more countries than most will ever travel to.

But while tackling constant changes and challenges during their childhood, the siblings found a passion for swimming along the way. For Adel and Samira, the pool was a place where they always felt comfortable.

"By the time I was six months old, I was floating in water," recalled Adel. "When I was three years old, I could already swim all four strokes. Swimming has always been something that has come natural to my sister and me."

Their father's job brought the family to Uruguay and Ghana as young children, and that's when they began taking swim lessons and competing on club teams. It wasn't long before they both were not only excelling at the sport, but were competing against the best around. At 11 years old, Adel won the Best National Swimmer award twice at the winter Egyptian Nationals and Cairo Conferences. Not to be outdone, a 9-year old Samira, following another family move to Sweden, was victorious in the synchronized swimming event at the Swedish Nationals, and later won it two more times.

"Swimming has helped us adjust to all the different cultures," explained Samira. "We didn't always understand the languages people spoke, but by being around the pool, we learned ways to communicate with them."

Following a lengthy stay in Sweden, and a short time in Egypt, the El-Adawy's were headed to Ethiopia next – a location that didn't sit well with Adel and Samira. In the Ethiopian school systems, athletics did not go along with getting an education, meaning there weren't any schools that offered a swim team. With their swimming careers at a crossroads, the family came up with a plan.

"I only had two years left of high school," said Adel. "So my parents decided to let me stay in Cairo (Egypt) with my grandparents so I could go to school and swim. But since Samira was young, around 15 years old, my parents wanted her to live with them in Ethiopia."

"I was going crazy not being able to swim," recalled Samira. "My mom would take me to hotel just so I could have access to the area's only available pool."

Her parents later decided they couldn't cut their daughter's swim career short, and allowed her to go to a boarding school near Paris, France, where she could swim and get an education. In just her second year there, she competed in the 400 IM at the French Nationals, which is equivalent to the Olympic trials in the United States. Making the experience that much more special, well-known French swimmer Alain Bernard, who went on to win a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, was competing at the French Nationals at the same time as Samira.

Meanwhile, Adel was nearing his high school graduation, and was ready to pursue his goal – attending a college in the United States, where he could both get a top-notch education and continue swimming competitively. He attended meetings with AMIDEAST Cairo, which helps Middle Eastern students learn about schools in the United States, and by chance met Wooster alum Sarah Fuller ('95) Klyberg who was working in the program.

"Everything Sarah was telling me about Wooster sounded too good to be true," recalled Adel. "But she got me into contact with Rob Harrington (head swim coach at Wooster), and he really motivated me. I came out to visit and loved it, and I knew then that Wooster was the place I wanted to be."

Samira was sold on Adel's positive experiences at Wooster, and two years later she came over and joined him at the College. The two have since been welcomed assets to Wooster's swim program. Despite battling injuries and participating in several other on-campus activities (President of Lambda Pi Eta, Vice President of International Student Association, 2010-11 National Moot Court qualifier), Adel, a senior, has notched some of the fastest backstroke times in school history, while Samira, a sophomore, has emerged as one of the women's most talented swimmers.

"Adel and I love to compete," said Samira. "But in America, I have learned how important it is to be on a team. It is great being a swimmer at Wooster, and having my teammates cheering me on. Wooster has given us exactly what we always wanted."

The siblings will both compete at the North Coast Athletic Conference championships Feb. 10-12, which will be bittersweet for them, because it could be the last time they swim together competitively.