I believe Marcello is a good candidate for a black belt promotion because of his hard work, dedication, and respect for the art. One quality of his that I admire and especially stands out is his ability to make a commitment and stick to it. This journey has had its challenges but Marcello has persevered nonetheless.  I also…

Dear Grandmaster Strongheart and Master Wells,

I am writing to you with the highest recommendation for Marcello Lioy’s advancement to the rank of black…

For my community service volunteered at the Vera Project.  Vera is an all-ages volunteer-fueled music and arts venue, and its mission is to fuel personal and community transformation through collaborative, youth-driven engagement in music and art.  Music has always been an important part of my…

My primary goal upon receiving my black belt is to continue to train regularly; I greatly enjoy it, as it pushes me both physically and mentally.  One area that I feel I need to focus on is sparring – that is the most challenging aspect of the training for me.  I have a tendency to over-think things in general, and on the mats this manifests…

I would like to be an approachable black belt, one that other students are comfortable coming to for help. I feel I have much to give as I have struggled through (and continue in many cases to struggle with) various techniques, or aspects of the forms and have noticed others struggling with the same things. I enjoy leveraging my learning and…

My mother is someone I greatly admire; not only did she teach me to value tolerance, and judge people for who they are and not where they are from or what they look like, but she was also quite successful on her own terms.  My mother worked for various non-governmental organizations working in developing nations in the public health domain.  Being born in…

Thank goodness learning never stops.  There is always something else to discover, some large concept to grasp, some better control to have, some tiny thing to master that makes a world of difference.  I hope to contribute more as a teacher, open up to more experiences as a student, learn more types of weapons…

I hope I will be a kind one who will help other people feel empowered and supported.  I want to be a good role model for my kids so they know that nothing worthwhile comes without effort.  I want to be the person who keeps showing up able to do the most with what I have, whatever that might be (because I’m not getting any…

Living Heroes

Michelle Powell - My Mom is the strongest and bravest person I know.  She has chosen her own path even though it’s been hard, faced loss with grace, stood back when I need to stand on my own and been beside me when I needed it.  She is an amazing parent and human. I hope I am a person she can always be proud of…