Life of Pride

I love my Tae Kwon Do! I began studying TKD with the majority of my family in 1999, earning my first degree black belt at my dojang (Korean word for TKD school) in Missouri shortly before I began college in 2002. I fell in love with it then and decided it would become a lifelong activity. During my college season, I barely kept up with TKD. After graduating and officially setting up life in Virginia in 2007, I searched for a new dojang almost immediately.

Currently, I study at the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Martial Arts Academy in Leesburg, VA, owned and run by Grand Master Choi and his sons. Here, I established my official first-dan registration with the Kukkiwon in Korea. I hope to test for second dan this year.

Tae Kwon Do helps promote overall balance in my life, and it also gives me a way to reach out into the world around me and provide tangible service, as I help others learn new skills. It integrates well with my Christian beliefs for the following reasons:

• It promotes a strength of body that supports strength of mind and soul.
• It gives you the calm confidence that helps you be gentle with others.
• It builds discipline, respect for authority, and servant leadership into life.

My life goal for TKD is to reach my seventh degree black belt while growing in service to others.

—

I would also like to earn certification as a physical trainer one day and teach others about the joy of physical fitness. Currently, however, this is only a vague goal. I don’t know how, when, or if I will be able to fit it into life.

On my own, I enjoy lifting weights and maintaining functional physical fitness and flexibility. The main purpose of this is to support my martial arts, so that I can provide a good example to lower-level students at the dojang I attend.