My first Taekwondo memory is me as a white belt sitting in a large circle going over the history of Taekwondo and the school. My instructor at the time was a 5th Dan, or Master. I remember sitting there thinking that I couldn't wait to be a master in Taekwondo and wondered if I would be as accomplished as other martial artists. On December 18, 2003, that dream became a reality and I took my place with the other masters before me. Martial Arts has played a major role in my life physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

I have been in martial arts for twenty years and studied under many instructors and disciplines. Since my father was in the military we moved every four years, but one thing remained constant and that was martial arts. My parents always found a school for me to train at, a school that I could call home. My style of martial arts is a very unique style. My foundation starts with Taekwondo but the building blocks begin with Hapkido. I have been exposed to several different styles, such as combat Karate, Kenpo, Tang Soo Do, Kung Fu, and a little bit of boxing.

Even though I started with Taekwondo, Hapkido became my style of choice in the late 1980s. I received my first Dan in Hapkido at the age of eleven (11) while my family was stationed in Vilseck, Germany. Then in 1990, I received my first Dan in Taekwondo at the age of fourteen (14) at Ft. Hood, Texas. Since then, I have progressed through the Dans steadily and have stayed on course. As a black belt, the real work and training began.

I have been competing in tournaments since I started Taekwondo at the age of seven (7). I have won numerous state and national titles, medals, and trophies competing as a child and as an adult. In 1992, my competition mentality changed when I qualified for the 12th Annual National Junior Olympic tournament in Orlando, Florida. My entire outlook on training changed and my entire focus was to be an Olympic champion. For the last ten years I have held state and national titles under USTU and AAU and I have succeeded in accomplishing every goal that I have set for myself as a competitor.

My next step as a martial artist is to pass down what I have learned to up and coming students. I love to teach and nothing is more rewarding than when a student takes what you have shown them and make it their own. This is my chance to honor my instructors by passing on what they have shown me, so that their teachings (and mine) will continue. When I started teaching I was very young, eleven years old, and I have had to overcome several stumbling blocks, especially since the majority of the students I was teaching were military soldiers. Teaching was not always fun, however with maturity, continuous studying, and guidance I have turned teaching into something more rewarding than a national title.

Martial Arts has always been a constant in my life, without martial arts I don't know how I would have ended up. Martial Arts has taught me discipline, humility, to think, follow through, and most of all to never give up. My mother always said that she didn't put me in Taekwondo for the tournaments or the fancy state and national titles. She put me in Taekwondo so that I could have a fighting chance if someone should attack me, and that the split second I had would be enough so that I could protect myself and be able to walk away. With that, I can not thank my parents enough for pushing me and supporting me in martial arts. Everyone says martial arts is a way of life and in truth it is. However, what you do with your art and how you learn from it is all up to you.