Jean, aka "The Machine", hails from the Dominican Republic, where he learned to swim in warm Caribbean waters when he was four years old. His family migrated from the DR when he was five and landed in New York where he lost the call of the water until his high school years. He joined his high school's swim team during his freshman year and was soon the fastest freestyler on the squad. Jean's aquatics career continued when he became a New York City Lifeguard at the age of 16 where he worked at Rockaway Beach in Brooklyn. He was introduced to Imagine while studying at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, where he was a member of the Panthers swim team and working as a staff lifeguard. "The Machine" earns his nickname both as a weight room star and as an ever-efficient presence on the deck during Imagine lessons.