Martial arts is an important aspect of my life and greatly influenced me growing up. I trained for about 10 years before taking a break during my undergraduate education. Through my training, I gained self-confidence, strength (physical and mental), determination, leadership skills, and valuable friendships.
The majority of my training was in taekwon-do. This includes patterns (forms), sparring, breaking boards, and self-defense. My training center was associated with the ITF and later, the ATFI. We participated in many internal and external competitions. After many years of hard work, I earned my third dan.
I also had the opportunity to train in hapkido, which gave me exposure to weapons training. Additionally, our ground training drew from judo and jiu-jitsu.