Diversity and Inclusion
UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENT PROFILE
Faces of LIFE
Student-Athlete Mack Beggs is a
Champion at LIFE
In many ways , Mack Beggs is a typical college student . The 20-year-old is a sophomore at Life University and a student-athlete on the Life U Men ’ s Wrestling team , competing for the first season at the collegiate level after redshirting last year . Mack is also a Health Science major , studying hard to excel academically .
He came to LIFE from Euless , Texas , where he met his high school sweetheart . The couple is now engaged and maintains a long-distance relationship . Mack won back-toback Texas state wrestling championships during his last two years in high school , going undefeated in 92 straight matches and 156-24 for his high school career .
But Mack is also unique . He ’ s transgender and continues to fight for the right to compete in the sport he loves as the man he now is .
Before the first match of the Life U Men ’ s Wrestling season , Mack took a few minutes away from practice to sit down with us to discuss his life at LIFE , the season ahead and where he sees himself going in the future .
For people who don ’ t know you and don ’ t know your story , what would you tell them ? What do you tell them ?
I just tell them I ’ ve always been athletic . I ’ m a wrestler . I started wrestling in my freshman year of high school , but I did pole vault , I was the goalie on the soccer team , I did basketball and volleyball — I did everything . My family comes first to me , always . I bleed the colors of my family , and I ’ ll always stand for my family — no matter what . I ’ ll always stand behind my brothers .
And I think that ’ s why I took to wrestling really well — that tight-knit environment . Obviously , you go against each other every day , but at the end of the day , that ’ s your person ; that ’ s your teammate .
Why did you choose Life University ?
It ’ s the people and the knowledge that LIFE gives . The teachers are super , super nice . It ’ s an environment that you want to be around . I want to be there in the classroom . It ’ s not like something I ’ m dreading every single day . Even the online classes are cool .
And then , the people on campus — it ’ s LGBT friendly , everyone ’ s friendly to each other . It ’ s nature-y . I ’ m an outdoors person — I like going around the trails , I like seeing stuff around here [ near the Eagle ’ s Nest ]. It ’ s super beautiful .
It ’ s as if LIFE ’ s internal environment and external environment kind of match , in a way ?
Yeah . I thought I was going to struggle a little bit when I was coming onto the team . Everybody was like , “ Are you worried about being on
Mack continues to fight for the right to compete in the sport he loves as the man he now is . the team ? Are you afraid that people are going to treat you irregularly , and not like the way that you want to be treated ?”
And I told them all , “ Honestly , at the end of the day , I couldn ’ t care less . If I get beat on every single day , and it makes me a better wrestler , then so be it .” But I would have to say honestly that this group of wrestlers and this team are probably the closest I ’ ll get to what I had on my high school team . And that says a lot , because I had a lot of people I was close to on my high school team .
Tell me about your hometown and your high school atmosphere .
It ’ s definitely different . I lived in more of a suburb area , and to me , I thought it was really small . Obviously , when you go to the cities in Texas , you think you ’ re out in the middle of nowhere . But here , you have your own space to grow ; you have a fresh place to start . It ’ s kind of like the start of your life , and I feel like I had that chance and that fresh start to begin something I should have started years ago .
It ’ s the one thing I tell myself every day , no matter what happens — At the end of the day , no matter what I ’ m doing , as long as I put my best effort into everything that I do , I know I ’ m going to excel in anything I put my mind to .
Now that you ’ ve been here a year , how are your studies going ? What are the courses that have really benefitted you and interested you the most ?
In Winter Quarter , Bio II definitely engaged me . I didn ’ t pass , but I definitely enjoyed it very much . I even told the teacher , “ I know I ’ m probably not going to pass this quarter , but I just want to tell you this is probably the most fun class and the most enriching class I ’ ve gotten since I ’ ve been here .”
You ’ ve talked a bit about how you feel like LIFE may be where you belong academically . What have your teammates and coaches been like , and the University as a whole ?
They definitely have the best interests for me . The other day , my friend was like , “ I gotta ask you a question here . You ’ ve got so much going for you .” And I said , “ Yeah , I do — I know I do .” Because the stuff that I ’ m doing , I could really get paid for it , if I wanted to . I could become a pro athlete , do something with that . He asked , “ Do you really want to be here , on this team ?” I looked at him and said , “ First of all , I wouldn ’ t go through as much stuff as I ’ ve been going through — I wouldn ’ t be here right now . I want to be here .”
And if I didn ’ t want to be here , I already would not be here . There
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