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I have had a unique experience with academics and the interview process since grade school. I cherish these experiences and memories and can give full credit to the knowledge it is because I have trained in martial arts since 1989.
I started training following a field day activity when my classmates’ father had us all go to his gym for the day. Surprising him, we all fell in love with the idea of being teenage mutant ninja turtles! Continuing the training from that day forward was not about getting good grades, being the teachers’ helper, being a mystery reader to younger students, or fulfilling my grandfather’s dream for me to receive my Ph.D.
All those things occurred because of the qualities and characteristics that training in martial arts enhanced within the fabric of my being. Every interview, every class, and every experience were woven together to provide me with the tools that brought me to this moment. Only with 20/20 vision can I see how all these moments fed the next and future moments. Even so, with integrity, concentration, perseverance, respect and obedience, self-control, and humility as my guide, my gratitude for the first ripple goes unmatched. 
High School. – Self-Confidence
High school is commonly known as being a trying time, a season of self-awareness and self-growth. I entered the first year one person and graduated as someone who could stand up for herself, knowing that friendships matter and that training kept my brain at peace with itself and the world around it. During my junior or senior year, a professor told me that my interview was the basis for my acceptance. It was apparent to others that I had potential. I stood confidently, fueled by determination and willingness to do the work. The confidence I gained from the early years of training gave me something I did not see in myself. I did not even see it when I graduated high school as much as others, yet looking back at those years, I know I would not be alive if it were not for the underlying confidence of knowing there was value within me.
College. – Passion
Being a martial art practitioner and traveling within the country and to tournaments across the pond, I had been quite accustomed to talking to people. I enjoyed what I was doing and wanted to continue doing what I loved. I also wanted to help others be their best selves. To do so, I needed to understand how others learn and what impacts their learning. I enrolled at Eastern University thanks to the assistance of an individual I met at a college information booth after my friends left me there. They said, “You’ve been talking for an hour,” and that was my interview, and once again, what that individual saw in me allowed me to join a community and find the space where my passion took life. When I went to college, I accepted every challenge. In my junior year, I had the opportunity to intern for my psychology degree. Under the instruction of, my advisor, he opened my eyes to the passion I had for martial arts outside of my gains. Every question presented to give an example of a theory applied, I was using something from a martial arts class I had just taught or participated in. The two were not previously connected. The childhood hobby of passion quickly turned into a labor of love.
Grad School. – Persistence, Dedication, and Timing
Like a tomato plant, there is no more growing after red, simply serving to others. That is why I want to remain green. Pursuing my doctorate was always in the back of my mind, and to achieve that level of academia, one must first complete their Master’s. I did not want to lose motivation, for I had taken a summer of not training every day once as a teenager and lost the flexibility to do a full split. Therefore, I had an inkling that I knew what would occur if I slowed down. Unfortunately, the semester I did at a university was not fulfilling to my spirit, merely my flesh and ego. I did not return and knew that with patience and the correct timing, what I wanted and needed would be provided. Much like how I got into undergrad, it was at a college booth, and I interacted with the individual at the table who told me to “Look again” when I said I was looking for an online program to enhance my role within the athletic industry. Sports Management was becoming a more prominent field, and I happened to stumble upon it with a willingness to push myself, try new things, and make mistakes.
I applied and thankfully graduated in 2017 while also nursing a rejection by the one and only Ph.D. program I applied to. Unfortunately, I had put all my hopes in that acceptance. Despite that setback and frustration, the black belt spirit of determination not to let it hold me back from being of value was embraced.
I gained new perspectives, listened to my heart, and tried again at a different university. This time, I was accepted. Although not in a grand way, my internal dialogue, resilience, and commitment to martial arts led me to that point. It was in the waiting and each little step that continued to keep me on the path. Just like training and reviewing basics, sharpening things you thought you knew to see them enhanced, and doing just one more squat when you feel like you’re exhausted, those moments are equal to the expectations I have come to see in me as I work through my doctoral program. My ability to balance work, life, and academia was taught and reinforced from my first day on the mat in 1989. Sometimes I question how others in my cohort are constantly up in arms about one thing or another, and I often feel a similar frustration. However, because my instructors expect a particular level of excellence and have multiple opinions, I can quickly navigate these relationships with my professors into a place of peace. My instructor always pressed into my psyche that integrity mattered, and that was shown in my grades and commitment to my dreams.
How does being a martial art athlete influence the Ph.D. journey and other academic benefits? In a sense, I trained for moments like the ones mentioned above in the name of skill acquisition. It was never about being a black belt and calling it a day. It was about the daily choice to grow, to keep learning, and to be my favorite self. As my original Grand Master Robert Cheezic always said, and now it is part of my and many others’ daily vernacular, “It is more than just karate.”
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