lauren lew
1st poom | may 2020

​Good evening Master Brian, Master Joyce, Master Benecia and Master Bryanna, friends and parents, and thank you for being here for my black belt grading.

I recalled the day I first started taekwondo 5 years ago. Nervous and shy, I didn’t dare to look at anyone in the eye as Master Joyce taught me the basics of taekwondo. Now, my confidence level has greatly increased and it’s all because I joined taekwondo.

I knew that taekwondo wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t know that I would end up getting this many bruises. Taekwondo made my pain threshold higher, saving me from crying every time I fell down or injuries that I would get. In the past, there were multiple times when I thought of quitting, but thankfully, I kept going, as I knew that I had to keep practicing self-defense. I am extremely glad that I didn’t quit and that my instructors have never once given up on me. They continue to encourage me and push me to go further, kick higher and harder. Today, I can finally break boards without crying even though it may hurt.

As we all know, discipline and resilience are very important and taekwondo has helped me build these values. There were days when I too tired to go for training, or I just wasn’t in the mood, yet I still attended the training. There are times where I disliked and feared sparring but I pushed myself to try. Throughout the years, this has taught me what it means by having discipline and resilience.

I am really looking forward to achieving my black belt after all the effort, time, tears and sweat. Looking back, learning taekwondo may not be the most enjoyable moments in my life but it definitely has the biggest impact on how I am growing up to be. So I thank all my Masters for believing in me and having such amazing patience with me. I am keen to start my black belt training as the next step of my taekwondo journey.

​Thank you!

---