Ryan Darbhanga – I am very proud to state that I have achieved my 1st dan black belt. I am extremely grateful to Ms. Shim and Grandmaster Kim for guiding me through this journey. This black belt that I have achieved is so important to me since it signifies the hard work I have put in and committed through my years in Tae Kwon Do. A black belt to me means that a person has been determined, courageous, brave, and self-confident through his/her years in Tae Kwon Do. In my personal experience of becoming a black belt, I tend to look back and remember how much effort and work I put into practicing and learning Tae Kwon Do. I wasn’t always like this, in fact when I was a green belt I started thinking about quitting Tae Kwon Do. I felt like there was no meaning, and I wasn’t gaining anything. But my parents persuaded me to keep on going since they said: “You will not get anywhere if you don’t try”. After listening to my parent’s advice I decided to keep on going to Tae Kwon Do since this motive inspired me. I applied my parent’s advice and soon I was a blue stripe belt then blue belt then red stripe and then red belt. Through the years of progress, I look back on, this achievement that I have received has been the icing on my cake and it sums it up altogether. To me, a black belt isn’t necessarily the rank that you have received, but instead the journey that you have learned from and experienced. This black belt to me ties up all the sweat, hard work, and mental strain I experienced, and in the end, I did gain something. I gained self-confidence, discipline, determination, courage, and respect. I hope that I continue my career as a black belt for Tae Kwon Do. In conclusion, this black belt is an achievement that I will remember and value all my life.

Ella Dickinson – I am extremely happy and proud that I have earned my Black Belt.  When I started Taekwondo two and a half years ago, I never imagined that I would ever get my black belt.  As I started moving through the ranks, I started thinking that I might actually achieve it.  When I heard that I had passed the test it felt like all the hard work had paid off.  Doing Taekwondo has made me more confident and patient and I also really enjoyed it.  Now that I have my black belt, I really hope to help the school grow. I really want to help younger colored belts improve, just like black belts did for me. At some points, it felt like the test was so far away and it wasn’t worth the wait.  When I really thought about it though, I realized how happy I would be when I got it and how accomplished I would feel.  I really enjoy Taekwondo, and I hope to get my 2nd Dan in the upcoming years.

Mihir Jain – I feel very proud of myself as I have been training for a very long time to achieve this goal. I would like to thank my parents for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to all the teachers for their patience and helping me improve my TaekwonDo skills. Some of the benefits TaekwonDo has given me are increased focus, self-control, commitment, and hard work. I am looking forward to improving these skills and using them in my daily life. I’m looking forward to training harder to achieve my 2nd Dan Black Belt.

Navya Setlur – I feel accomplished that I’m getting my black belt. Ever since I was little, I’ve dreamt of taking Taekwondo classes. I have met and made friends along the way, and developed self defence and fighting techniques. My parents helped me a lot by encouraging me to never give up, even when times were tough. I have reached my goal of Taekwondo: getting my black belt. Now that I am a black belt, I will help lower belts with their forms and one-steps. I am proud to be a black belt, and will continue to do Taekwondo through all of the dans.

Pushkar Potli – I am so excited on getting 1st Dan Black belt as I was waiting for this day for the past 3.5 years and now, I am looking forward to playing the youth leader role by helping new Taekwondo members to learn and improve their kicks.

Hannah Wallenstein – When I put on my black belt for the first time I felt both proud and excited. I have never worked on something for so long. All of my hard work has paid off. To me wearing a Black Belt means that I am a role model for the colored belts. One way I show I am a role model is to exhibit a positive attitude and be respectful and supportive if a colored belt makes a mistake. Helping others makes me feel good because I know that I am helping them get better. When I went into a break out room for the first time as a Black Belt I was so excited to share what I know with the colored belt students. I like when the colored belts look up to me and ask questions. I feel confident when I answer their questions. My goal as a Black Belt is to help as many kids as I can so that they are improving. Being a Black Belt means so much to me because I can finally show how much I have learned and how confident I have become over the years.

Avin Hemaratne – I started Taekwondo when I was 5 years old. It has been 4 years since I started. I was so excited to receive my black belt! I am proud of myself for achieving this goal. Over the years I improve my stances and techniques. My favorite event to do at Taekwondo is the forms competition. I like board breaking, mat jumping, and forms demonstrations. My other favorite activity is full range sparring because it teaches me how to move out of the way quickly and react. Not only did I enjoy doing Taekwondo, it also helped me to improve my social skills. Taekwondo taught me to concentrate on tasks. It helped me to be respectful and be well behaved. I believe it will teach me to be a good leader. Currently, I am training as a youth leader as I decided to continue Taekwondo.

Elisha Marfil – I am happy and proud that I am a Black Belt now because I worked very hard for it. Also, it’s an honor to be a Black Belt because people will respect you. My next goal is to become a Youth Leader and also to become a 3rd Dan Black Belt someday. I might even join the demo team! Taekwondo has been a great experience for me.