Gennies Nation,
My name is Zach Papin, and I have spent the summer working and studying abroad in London with fellow W&L wrestler, Alex Pollera. The program we were on was through the school, and it was certainly an extraordinary experience. We worked 20-hour weeks while simultaneously earning credits in a few classes. We had plenty of time to get out and enjoy all the city has to offer as well as bond with the other students on the trip. It was certainly difficult to bridge some of the cultural gaps across the pond, but we learned from out mistakes and slowly began to get the hang of things. I worked for a charity organization, which focused on education inequality in low-income areas across London. I really enjoyed being a part of something bigger than myself and loved the people around the office, even despite the daily jokes about me being a cowboy from Texas. We also took a class on contemporary British politics during an extremely interesting time for the United Kingdom. Given the Brexit decision to leave the European Union while we were there, we had plenty of interesting things to learn about in our studies. I am looking forward to getting back to the states and training again for the upcoming season. My summer abroad was certainly unforgettable, and I’m hoping that together the Generals can make the 2016-2017 season the same way.
– Zach Papin
