Scholarship Program

We are proud to offer a Scholarship Program for our Kids and Teens classes.

Scholarships are offered to students who have progressed to level 2 or above and demonstrate responsibility as well as the will to be their best. With this Scholarship, students help in the lower level classes where they are coached on Leadership Skills as well as how to Teach Kung Fu.

These Scholarships pay for a student’s regular tuition (excluding Weapons class, which is an optional class) and help students to continue to learn and grow in the art, especially when funds are tight for a family.

Through helping mentor students who are still learning the basics, these Scholarship Recipients also strengthen their understanding of Kung Fu and grow faster in the art. One of the best ways to learn is to teach.

Currently we have 7 students who are on a Scholarship, and I would love to be able to offer this opportunity to more students.

The Wellbeing and Education of Children is the greatest investment that we could possibly make for our future.

If you are interested in contributing to our Scholarship Program, we would be greatly appreciative. Our school is not one of great financial means, but we feel strongly that it is important to provide leadership opportunities for kids to help them grow into adults who will make a positive impact on our community. Donations can be made through our Tuition page.

A little more about why this is important to me. Way back when I was a teenager I was given a similar opportunity. I had always been interested in martial arts, but was too shy to pursue it and had no idea where to begin. The owner of a Taekwondo school where I lived at the time was looking for help and one of my parents’ friends gave him my name as a character reference. He called my house and asked if I was interested in teaching, and that as I moved up through the ranks I would teach kids that were a lower rank than me. This experience had a profound impact on who I have become.

After attaining my black belt and moving away for college, I continued my studies in martial arts and explored many different styles. An internship in the film industry brought me to Asheville in 2006, but that career didn’t feel like the right fit for me. As I reflected on all the work I had done, I kept going back to how rewarding it was to teach Taekwondo as a teenager. This led me to pursue my Master’s Degree in Education, where I later worked as an Elementary School teacher for about 7 years. As with what happens to many new teachers, I became very burnt out with that profession. Testing Culture and everything that came with it had me feeling like all I was doing was cramming tests down children’s throats, and not actually helping them to become well rounded good human beings. In that setting I saw children start to hate learning. I couldn’t blame them, and it went against all the reasons I wanted to become a teacher in the first place.

During this time I started to reflect on possible career changes. One day while training outside the thought occurred to me that wouldn’t it be great if I could continue to teach, but to teach the important things that there is “no time for” in public schools. I felt that Kung Fu would be a great medium, because at the root of it is Wu De, or martial virtue. True Kung Fu is about becoming a better person, not just fighting. I spoke with my Sifu one evening after class and he gave me his blessing to teach, saying that he thought I’d make a great Kung Fu teacher.

Many years later, here I am today. I feel that what we do here is truly good, working to create healthy bodies and healthy minds. And it all began with an opportunity I was given as a teenager.

- Aaron