My name is Zach and I practice karate. When I was in second grade, I was a weird kid who didn’t have many friends. I was called names, made fun of, and I missed a lot of days because of illness. This all changed, however, when a friend of mine invited me to take a karate class with him. I fell in love instantly and have been practicing ever since. Karate gave me confidence, strength, and taught me to be a leader. My journey didn’t end there. I continued training, tested for my black belt in the summer after sixth grade, and passed. The feeling of accomplishing this goal of mine only motivated me to keep training, to keep improving, and to be the best student I could be. Nowadays, I continue to train 4 to 5 days a week, teach at least one class a week, study for my instructor certification, and attend camps, seminars, and tournaments across the country. Karate made me who I am today. It taught me to be confident, ambitious, and committed. Most importantly, my time practicing karate has taught me there is always room for improvement and I should strive every day to make that room smaller. I hope to continue practicing karate for the rest of my life and possibly open up a dojo of my own one day.