The studio is filled with the yells of young taekwondo students practicing their kicks and strikes as Ninad Moholkar (10) observes them and corrects the lower belts on their technique. Amid the rows of pupils ranging from white to orange belts, Ninad spots a yellow belt struggling to do a side kick. He approaches the little kid, no older than five or six, and shows him how to pivot his heel and aim at the target. The young beginner follows Ninad’s instruction and makes the correction, performing the kick with more precision and better execution.

Ninad has been a student at Young Kim’s Taekwondo for around five to six years and is currently a second degree black belt. He has learned many skills from taekwondo like self defense, as well as teachings outside of kicking and punching such as the sport’s philosophy of hard work and perseverance.

“It’s a really fun way of doing leadership, fitness and learning how to defend yourself at the same time,” said Ninad. “I feel like it’s really made an impact on me as a person, helped with my discipline, helped me focus at school and outside of school, and it’s made me a better person overall.”

On top of taekwondo, Ninad is also in boy scouts and a part of a slew of clubs such as Debate, Science Olympiad, Robotics, and FBLA. Being dedicated to the things he’s passionate about has allowed him to broaden his scope and engage with many opportunities to grow as a person and as a student. However, with ambitious goals and high expectations of himself, he struggled early on in his highschool career with managing a heavy workload and taking on new responsibilities.

“The challenge of coming into high school and being able to accept a larger course load was a big deal for me in the sense that it was a stepping point for me to grow up. Not only that, but also become better as a student and be able to prove myself that I can really do the challenges that I put myself to do,” said Ninad.

Although Ninad knows what he signed up for, he still has difficulty juggling all his extracurriculars and after school activities. He admits that time management and getting distracted while working are some things he wants to fix.

“One of the major things that I would like to improve about myself is definitely being able to stay on task when I need to be productive. This includes both in class and at home,” said Ninad. “Another thing that I feel needs working on is the fact that I work at a slower pace, since I am a perfectionist, and need to learn how to work faster to finish tests and projects faster.”

The standard of excellence displayed in the work he produces is something Ninad takes pride in. His teachers and friends can attest to his admirable work ethic and drive to succeed.

“One time I asked him ‘Why do you care so much about school?’ and he’s like ‘Because I know this is my one shot at high school and I want to make the most out of it,’” said Jacob Pak (10).

Back in the studio, Ninad stands off to the side attentively waiting for his cue. Once the master is finished with his address to the students, he signals for Ninad to conduct the ritualistic bowing procedure to end class. Ninad follows through with the formalities and afterwards is dismissed, feeling satisfied with himself for getting through another productive day.