If you are in the Atlas Corps community, whether as a fellow, scholar, alumni, or staff, you are familiar with the Atlas Corps Five Facts tradition. For those who are not in the community, the Five Facts are the go-to paragraph we use to introduce ourselves at Atlas Corps events. The Five Facts introduction covers your name, home country, host organization, social issue, and a fun fact. I am proud to say that the fun fact I had when I joined the community as an Atlas Corps Fellow in July 2021 has since changed, thankfully.
Last week, Atlas Corps hosted its Global Leadership Lab Immersion, a series of professional development, relationship-building, and collaboration events. The week kicked off with a welcome party for a new class of fellows who had arrived in the US, so we shared our Five Facts. The gasps and excitement all around the room when I mentioned attending ‘The Most Stupendous Two-Night Wrestlemania in History’ in 2022 as my fun fact was simply beautiful to behold. If you were in attendance and have a different story, that’s none of my business. Whenever I share about various wrestling events, someone suggests that I write an Atlas Corps blog about it, and I promise I am not falsely accusing anyone. LOL. All of this is to say that you asked, and I listened. Let me get on with it before the crowd starts booing.
Toward the end of 2021, I started watching wrestling matches and getting familiar with the different players. I fell in love with favorites like Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, who happened to be married, but I didn’t know that then. I also quickly found my archenemies like Austin Theory and Brock Lesnar; I wish I were joking. Over a year of actively following the wrestling scene later, I know that was a rookie mistake because the game is littered with wild cards and plot twists, so it’s in your best interests to avoid getting too attached. Isn’t this the general life motto at this point, though?
In January 2022, I watched the 35th annual Royal Rumble on Peacock, which streams a good number of WWE’s premium events, and it was during that viewing that I learned about Wrestlemania 38 happening in Dallas, Texas, later that year in April.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the beginning of my journey to The Most Stupendous Two-Night Wrestlemania in History.
Over the weekend, I watched the 36th annual Royal Rumble event, making it exactly one year since I started this journey. In celebration of this anniversary, allow me to leave you with three lessons I have picked up.
Be open to new things. While this is generally true for any situation, this is especially for fellows that come to the U.S. for their service. Moving to a new country/continent for 12-18 months can be daunting, but that doesn’t have to be your entire story. You can build amazing memories in the new place as well. This can be made easier if you don’t look for ‘home’ in the new environment but rather allow yourself to experience new things.
Tell your story. We all have a story to tell, and it’s important to find your voice and tell it. More importantly, it doesn’t need to be a ‘serious’ story about that presentation that you aced. Talk about simple experiences like the ice skating you did over the weekend or the joy you experienced at the Cherry Blossoms festival at the National Mall.
Find your people and build community with them. One of the easiest ways you can do this is by telling your story. Think about it, how many times have you or someone else shared a story about an experience, and the listeners shared comments like, ‘I have always wanted to do that. Let me know when you plan to go next’? Another way is by also listening when other people share their stories and engaging with parts that you are curious about or interested in. If you are feeling extremely determined, you can also check out online communities of your interests.
Wishing you a lovely new month filled with things that bring you as much joy as wrestling brings me.
Happy February!
