When Christian started taking Tae Kwon Do classes at age seven, it was mostly because the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were his heroes.
“Because of martial arts I was humble, stayed out of trouble in school, and listened and learned as much as I could from the instructors,” he remembers.
At 13, he earned his Tae Kwon Do black belt. Christian took a break and came back to it at age 15, focusing on regaining the skills he had learned. This time, he kept coming back to the mat because of the people he was training with. That’s when he met Emerson Doyle, who was a Tae Kwon Do head instructor.
“He invited me to join his tricking class, and I loved the team camaraderie. That spirit enhanced my experience with martial arts, and we were always pushing each other to do better,” Christian explained.
With Emerson as his mentor, Christian began another journey.
“Master Emerson taught me everything, and inspired me to not just be a teacher, but a leader. He knew I could do it, and he saw something in me that I didn’t know was there,” Christian said.
Today, as EvolveAll’s head instructor of the Youth Martial Arts program, Christian now has the opportunity to train and inspire others to be teachers and leaders.
“Master Emerson inspired me to usher in a new generation of confident martial artists and young adults,” said Christian. “We have a family and a supportive community here at EvolveAll. We teach life lessons through martial arts. We teach students how to protect themselves, but instilling respect, discipline, focus, teamwork, and humility are just as important.”
“Many of my students struggle with life’s challenges, and often lack confidence to excel in martial arts. I love helping them grow and watching them succeed,” he said. “This is my calling.”