2022 Honorees
Valeria Malay
“As I continue onto the next chapter of my life, I can see all my experiences from taekwondo benefiting me all throughout my life. It has taught me how to have confidence in what I do, as well as how to persevere through any hardships. It has also aided me in developing my leadership skill set, as well as my teaching skill set. On top of it all, it helped me expand my morals, and set up high standards to follow. It aided me in learning how to communicate and work as a team, rather than an individual. These are all skill sets taekwondo has provided me with, that will stay with me.”
Joshua Hereth
“Being a constant in my life for the past seven years, Taekwondo has been instrumental in helping me grow into the person I am today. It has helped me relieve stress, given me a solid goal to work toward, improved my focus, and made me more responsible for my actions and words. Through Taekwondo I’ve become more determined, better at communicating and advocating for myself and I’ve even learned to be more flexible with unexpected situations. I know college will be difficult but it will also be a time for meeting new people and having new experiences. As I head off to college I will keep the lessons I have learned at Taekwondo with me and I will continue to apply them at school and in my life. I still have a lot to learn but Taekwondo has also shown me how to look at the bigger picture, because when I look back to when I was a white belt I am amazed at how far I have come since then.”
Katherine Brodwin-Sipols
“Taekwondo has been a consistent presence in my life since I was twelve years old, and through these past five years of my life, the sport has shaped me into the best version of myself. When I first started Taekwondo, I struggled with commitment. I did not always want to go to class and there were even times where I resented the time that had been given to me to grow as a Taekwondo student. As the years went on, however, I became more dedicated to showing up to class and putting in the work so that I could be a good role model for other members of the community. Taekwondo made me into a more dedicated student, which was not only reflected in the Dojang but in the classroom as well. As I transitioned from middle school to high school my dedication to my schoolwork never faltered despite the tumultuous time. Through that period of new experiences, I remained on high honor roll. I know that my dedication to everything that I do will remain with me during the start of college next year and it will shape me into a model student who will keep her grades up no matter the situation, in order to reach her goals.”
Madeline Osinski
“I hope to continue to do Taekwondo within college and share my knowledge with new students. Taekwondo gave me the confidence to pursue my passion and follow my major of Aerospace Engineering into college with me. I hope that as I enter college, I can use Taekwondo as a valuable part of my everyday life- to show that it is ok if things do not always go as planned and how as both a student and a coach I can overcome it. Thus, today when I tie my belt on my waist I remember where I began and am grateful for the wild journey Taekwondo will continue to take me on as I move forward from high school.”