FACES OF LIFE The Psychology of a Wrestler They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that rings true in a sense for Texas-bred Angelina Prado, approaching everything in life with a big heart full of passion and gusto. The El Paso native grew up in a close-knit family made up of her parents, brother and grandmother close by, grateful for the personal “village” that helped shape her into the woman she now is. Though used to travel as a high school wrestler, Prado knew it would be a considerable change when she pondered accepting an offer for a scholarship to wrestle for Life University (Life U), if for no other reason than the distance from her home state. Highlights from her high school athletic career at Eastwood High School include a 5A state team championship in 2020, as well as an individual 2020 state title. Recognizing Prado’s talent and potential, Coach Ashley Flavin reached out to see what it would take to sign Prado on to the freshman roster for Life U Women’s Wrestling. And of course, there were countless other barriers to deciding next steps when it came to the class of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Like many others, Prado was not able to experience the traditional aspects involved in selecting a new college home and where she wanted to grow in her sport, such as a college visit and complete tour. She kept an open mind as Coach Flavin excitedly told her about the beautiful campus with lush trees, sending photos and videos of the state-of-the-art athletics facilities, main points of interests and the grounds as a whole. And though she hadn’t stepped foot on the campus, she did feel “good vibes” from it, beginning to picture herself in this new world. By May, she had signed on the dotted line and moved down to Georgia in September of that year. Her first year was remarkably different from the remainder of her time on the team, as adaptability and flexibility reigned supreme in order to preserve the ability to compete. Getting to know everyone on the team proved difficult as the team was separated into three training and competition groups at first, to limit potential exposure as much as possible. Yet competition did begin in November that year, so Prado and her teammates finally were able to “mesh as a team” in a measured and safe way. “The level [of competition] definitely was a lot more, especially in our mat room, as Life U does have a really great women’s wrestling team program. So you can imagine, you’re wrestling some of the top girls in the country,” Prado said. Closing out her time at Life U has been bittersweet, but it’s comforting surely that Prado was able to finish out her last year as a Running Eagle as the team claimed its third consecutive Mid-South Conference Regular Season Championship. In her free time, Prado was also involved as a student leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), which served as a vital spiritual and social community for her that grounded her off the mat. “I felt like I belonged somewhere other than just wrestling. Sometimes it’s like we as athletes, we put our identity a lot on our sport and it was good to know that I can be more than just one than just one thing,” Prado said As something of a bright send-off for herself and many of the other graduating seniors, Prado was convinced by her teammate and roommate Devyn Gomez to co-MC the 7th Annual Student-Athlete Awards Banquet held on June 6, 2024. Angelina Prado B.S. in Psychology (Recent Alumna), Life U Women’s Wrestling team member They went all out, starring in a funny music video promoting the event and embarrassing a few wary athletics staffers to the tune of “Tonight” by the Black Eyed Peas. “That experience was super fun, getting people that are shy to be on camera and to get involved was so, so cool. Just seeing teachers or coaches get to break out of their shell a little bit, I think that was the best part,” Prado said. Predictably the banquet event itself was a bit nerve-inducing, yet the ladies took on the challenge with courage indicative of their student-athlete honed mindsets. Naturally I have a bubbly personality, so being on stage, I love that stuff. I definitely love being in front of a crowd and presenting and talking to people. In fact it went a lot smoother that I thought,” Prado said. In terms of her academics, Prado had a vision for what she was looking for as well. Her future career aspirations lie in criminal justice, so she pursued a B.S. in Psychology degree as a related undergraduate field offered by Life U. As a kid, Prado was well and truly fascinated by all things forensic files, all the best detective stories and the complex layers of the human mind. Her high school offered unique electives in forensics and law enforcement, where she and classmates analyzed classroom staged crime scenes and even getting to look in a cop car, examining some of the gadgets used by active police officers on the job. She plans to pursue a Master’s in Criminal Justice now that her undergraduate studies are completed. 49 Alumni.life.edu | 2024
