By Priyanka Devraj, 1st Gup

On April 4th, 2025, the Gup graduation ceremony was held at our Audubon studio. During this event, all the students who completed their required number of classes for their current rank and passed their written and physical tests are promoted to their next rank. This is a ritual where students of all ranks, instructors, and masters gather to celebrate, encourage, and honor those getting promoted. Parents are also invited to enjoy the performance and promotion of their loved ones. This event is a great platform to demonstrate our skills and showcase our recent achievements in front of the masters. 

Although the day started with the usual class routine and stretching, the energy was very different. All the masters were sitting in the front observing the students while the Black Belts guided the Gup students through warm-ups, drills, and forms. There were some special performances by senior Dans using weapons and a very special performance by some children who won second place in Group Hyung during the Spring Championship. I am sure that performance won the hearts of everyone watching. After all the performances, the students were presented with their new belts by Grandmaster Vaughn.

At my first Gup graduation, I was nervous. Performing in front of a panel is intimidating. This was the second Gup graduation that I’ve attended: I was feeling more comfortable, and it was very special to me. I was getting promoted to 1st Gup and could not believe I came this far. Although every promotion is equally important, this gave me a feeling of immense satisfaction. For me, it was a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiousness thinking of what I had achieved and what is coming next. It was an honor to get my new belt from Grandmaster Vaughn, and to be congratulated by instructors and other Black Belts on this very special day.

By Isabelle Voight, Cho Dan

This past spring scholarship cycle for Region 8, I had the honor of receiving one of the scholarships to the amount of $3,500. This is all because of generous donations made by members of Region 8 who make this scholarship fund possible.

My scholarship will go toward my business degree program at Montgomery County Community College. Currently I am working on my associates degree in business administration, which will be completed in the coming fall semester. Then, I plan to transfer to a four-year college — as of now West Chester — to pursue a business management degree with a human resources specialization. Human resources and management is ultimately the career path I wish to pursue.

I am just one year into this academic journey so far, but will work to pursue my dreams both in academics and in martial arts

By Madison Howes, Sam Dan

I began my martial arts journey at six years old at Impact Martial Arts in Perryville, Maryland. I had no idea the level of complexity, skill, and growth Tang Soo Do involved both on and off the mats, and I have been challenged in numerous ways during my 15 years of training, which have shaped me into the person I am today. Though I have grown since beginning my training, I have learned that there are always areas to strengthen, and the work is never complete.

In the fall of 2022, I continued my education at Eastern University and was unsure how to move forward in my training given that I was so far away from my home studio. Over winter break that year, I attended a black belt class at Impact and Master Celona spoke to us. I remember him saying if karate is important to you, you will find a way to continue training through the hard times of life. After class, I spoke with him about ways I could get connected to a dojang near my university, and in the spring of 2023, I first started training at Vaughn’s Dojang.

Prior to my time at Vaughn’s, I was looking for new material and feedback to further develop my skills. While I was challenged in this area, I was also pushed to think more deeply about the techniques and forms we do in each class; where should my kicks be aimed, how much time should be between moves, and how to appropriately use my whole body to best execute a technique.

Beyond these areas, I found the relationships to be the most impactful at Vaughn’s. I felt safe to make mistakes, propose new ideas, and ask questions. It was through these questions, ideas, and mistakes that I learned the most because it was an opportunity to receive feedback and make a change. Through the impactful interactions with both the masters and students at Vaughn’s, I have developed into a stronger martial artist.

This spring, I graduated from Eastern University with my bachelor's in psychology, thus concluding my time at Vaughn’s Dojang. As I move back home and begin my regular training and instructing at Impact again, I will bring with me the ideas and techniques I learned in my time with this studio — but more importantly, I will take with me the open mindset and curiosity that has always encouraged and made a difference in my training.

Making a commitment to training even in busy seasons of life has been one of the best decisions I have made; my roots as a martial artist have kept me stable through the challenges I face off the mats. I find respite in my training. Though college and/or life after high school may be full of worry, struggle, and time commitments, persevering in my martial arts journey strengthened me to face these obstacles as I had a place to center my thoughts and lean on other martial artists.

My experience at the Region 8 Tournament was filled with memories that I will keep with me forever. At first, I was a little nervous, but after competing, I felt more confident in myself. I got to meet many instructors and judges. Watching other people in higher ranks compete was very cool and inspiring. My team’s form made me feel proud because we got second place. I would definitely do this again.

By Vihaa Poddar

Hi, I am Vaanya Agarwal from the World Tang Soo Do Association. I am a Brown Belt and I am going to tell you about my experience with competing in the group hyung competition. I did it in the Region 8 Tournament at the Oxford High School on March 22, 2025. In the starting of the tournament my partners Vihaa Poddar, Anaya Mahajan and I were just goofing off. I was not worried. But as we got closer to performing in the group form, I got nervous because this would be my time competing in a tournament. But since I was competing with two of my best friends, I was not super duper scared or worried. In fact, I was just feeling a little scared, but mostly excited because no matter what happened, we were going through it together. As long as we tried our best, had fun, and had a good experience, nothing else mattered. Finally, we got second place and we were probably just a couple of tenths away from finishing first. Overall it was a very, very good experience for me.

By Vaanya Agarwal

My First Karate Tournament

At my first karate tournament I was very nervous, especially for my individual competition. At first, I did not want to spar but my parents and my brother encouraged me to spar. After I did it, I thought it was really fun. At my individual event I won first prize for forms and third prize for sparring! I think tournaments are really fun because I loved my first tournament.

By Anaya Mahajan