Meet Damien:
Damien started Martial Arts at the beginning of Kindergarten, about 9 months later he joined our Black Belt Club, and committed himself to becoming a Black Belt.
A few months before his Black Belt Test, Damien committed himself to being a Black Belt Leader, and joined our Leadership Team.
In December 2022, Damien received the rank of Black Belt 1st Kyu.
Damien’s parents initially enrolled him in martial arts to improve his coordination, balance, and confidence. They liked the fact that martial arts allowed him to “progress at his own pace, and see improvement by competing against himself” as opposed to other team sports which “involve competition between peers and uneven play time among different members of the team.” Now, Damien has grown both physically and mentally. Physically, you can now find him on an undefeated lacrosse team off the mat, and on the mat, you can see him doing dive rolls over a plethora of big pads. Mentally, his parents say, “he continued to progress and found confidence in himself along the way. Pride in his achievements as he advanced through the belts fostered enthusiasm, motivating him to step up to the next challenge.”
What sets Damien apart from most pre-teens is his strong sense of empathy and eagerness to help. His parents recall a time where Damien had skipped a friend’s birthday party to play with his little sister while his father was on an important work call and mother was sick and in bed. His parents say, “we were so proud of him for making that decision on his own. He selfishly missed out on an evening of fun with his friends to help his family.” His 5th Grade teacher notes, “Each morning, I am greeted with a friendly smile from Damien, followed by a sincere thank you at the end of each class.” A gesture he notes, “are not a common place in the life of a fifth grade teacher.”
On his way to Black Belt, you could see Damien attending workshops (which are 2+ hours long). In these workshops, Damien would make sure to work on the skills he needed to advance to the next belt. Today, Damien still attends workshops, this time to make sure he gets his new black belt skills down.
Fun fact about Damien: he has a twin sister who is also a Black Belt. Before their Black Belt test, they both received a personal letter of recommendation from the Assistant Principle of their school, and he says, “This brother and sister are a special duo, the kind that gives you hope for the future.” We could not agree more, and we are very proud of all the hard work they have put in in achieving their Black Belts, and are excited to see them continue their martial arts journey!