We pride ourselves in helping each student achieve their goals and developing their mental and physical strength. This is what attaining a Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do Black Belt requires.
For some of our candidates this journey to Black Belt began in our Knee High Ninja Program, when they were only four years old!
In August, this candidate passed our Arlington Qualifier and the Panel Exam in front of the Jhoon Rhee Masters from Arlington and Falls Church. Our candidate persevered and we would like to present and congratulate our newest Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do Black Belt!
“I have been a student of Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do since I was five years old. Although I cannot remember much about myself before starting to learn Tae Kwon Do, my parents tell me I was a twitchy and restless kid, full of energy but lacking an outlet. They say I took to Tae Kwon Do quickly and greatly benefited from my newfound self-discipline. I took the lessons I learned with me when my family PCS’d to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam just after second grade. While there was no way for me to continue learning Tae Kwon Do on Guam, I did my best to stay active and continue to live the Student Creed.
My family moved back to Arlington before the start of 5th grade, but I came back to a new neighborhood, a new school, and new challenges to face. I struggled to make friends and grew to be very shy. I also was far less active than I had been on Guam, and my physical fitness deteriorated. I was fortunate enough to return to Jhoon Rhee Arlington halfway through 6th grade, but I had a lot of work to do, rebuilding my physical stamina and self-confidence. In the nearly seven years since then, because of Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do, I was not only able to get back to where I was physically, but I am proud to say I have been able to surpass it.
While I took to the physicality of the martial art quickly once I started again, my self-assurance was much slower to follow. Eventually, thanks to the life skills I learned, my confidence began to manifest outside of the program in my eagerness to undertake new challenges. The best example of this comes from my decision to try out for my highschool’s varsity football team during my Junior year, despite having never played the game before. Surprisingly, I made the team, and while I found out the sport wasn’t the best fit for me, only because of my courage was I able to learn lessons about teamwork, resilience, and perseverance through the experience.
Without Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do, I would not have become the capable man I am today. I have seen improvements in not only my physical ability but also my mental resilience and my moral direction thanks to the system, and I plan to take these skills with me to college to begin the next stage of my life with a solid foundation.
I would not have come as far as I have without the unrelenting love and support of my parents, and so I thank them wholeheartedly for this. I also have each and every instructor at Jhoon Rhee Arlington to thank for being such amazing mentors, and shaping how I approach challenges. I would also like to thank my brother who gives me a reason to be my best every single day.
Thank you for listening. I am an IB diploma student graduated from WL, attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall, Sirs and Ma’ams.”
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