This feature originally appeared in the Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.



Fluent in English, Italian and Chinese when he arrived at Cal in 2015, Gianni Taranto stepped onto campus as the perfect representation of the multi-national Cal men's water polo team.
 
Although being a student-athlete at Cal is challenging in itself, after his freshman year, Taranto felt the need to stay even more occupied. A strong student who was already familiar with the resources offered by the Athletic Study Center on campus, the native of Sydney, Australia, settled on tutoring other student-athletes as a way to expand his horizons.
 
Now in his third year of working in the Athletic Study Center, tutoring has become part of Taranto's daily routine. That comfort level has allowed him to balance what he calls the "three S's" of college life – school, sport and staying social.
 
That first component has been especially important to the Australian. He has carried one of the highest GPAs on the men's water polo team throughout his time at Cal and in 2018 received the Golden Bear Award from the athletic department for compiling the team's top mark.
 
"No pain, no gain," Taranto said. "Working really hard allows me to enjoy and cherish down time with friends and family."
 
By tutoring other student-athletes, Taranto has taken under his umbrella a wide array of new relationships. At the same time, he has been able to help teammates like senior Vassilis Tzavaras, a senior from Greece, who credits Taranto with helping to dramatically improve his writing skills.
 
"Gianni is my in-person Google translator who I can actually learn from," Tzavaras said.
 
Taranto's work in the Athletic Study Center continued as the new semester began and he received a promotion to become a graduate tutor. A role usually given to graduate students in the School of Education, he is one of only 15 tutors in the role.
 
"Gianni has a gift of mentoring and applying theory to practice," said Athletic Study Center assistant director Tony Mirabelli. "It will make him successful in whatever he sets his mind to."
 
Mirabelli went on to praise Taranto's ability to be highly teachable as well as his ability to create a connection with his students. That has allowed him to move up the ranks in the study center, earning more responsibilities along the way.
 
"He's a tutor to tutors," Mirabelli said.
 
Taranto also asserts that tutoring for the ASC has had a huge impact on his own academic ability. His work with other student-athletes has allowed him to understand the socio-cultural nature of learning and the interconnectedness of all academic disciplines.
 
The left-handed Australian also says that the reason behind his decision to tutor has little to do with personal advantage but rather centers purely on a love for his students. While grades are important, the most rewarding part of his job comes from getting to watch his students "develop skills such as the ability to think critically, analyze texts and construct logical arguments."
 
So, would a career in academics interest Taranto?
 
"In an ideal world, I would have a prosperous career in another sphere where I can attain more life experience," Taranto said. "Then I can return to teaching when I am older and wiser."