
Dominick Vaccaro, EFA GA
Class of 2028, Lawrence University
I began my fencing journey in 2016 at the age of 10 with Coach Ahmed Fayez. Through his guidance, I started fencing in the USA Fencing circuit, traveled around the country and fenced in regional and national events. As Elite Fencing Academy grew, I grew as a fencer. My abilities and confidence on the strip became stronger and I saw regional success as well as gained national points. I started looking at colleges in my junior year of high school and one college checked off a lot of boxes for me – music, fencing and an opportunity to move outside of my comfort zone – Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, an NCAA Division 3 school.
I interviewed with the head coach while at the Junior Olympics and followed up with emails and videos of me in private lessons and at tournaments. I also visited LU and spent 24 hours with the fencing team. At Summer Nationals that year I was offered one of the 2 epee spots on the Lawrence University Fencing team. I know that my eight years of training at EFA with Coach Ahmed and Coach Sherif helped shape me as an athlete and prepared me for fencing in college. My training also helped me transition into college smoothly and embrace the new challenges of college life. I would like to thank Coach Ahmed and Coach Sherif for their years of dedication to me and contributing to my success on and off the strip.