These four brave warriors have come a long way since their humble beginnings.  They will be graduating, receiving their Tae Soo Do Black Belt and accepted into the Hwa Rang Do Tradition on Saturday, December 17, 2005, 4pm to 6pm. 

Congratulations and welcome into the Hwa Rang Do Family.

Julia Gache

A budding neonatologist, Julia has grown into a dedicated young warrior in her time at the West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy.  At 15 years of age, Julia is articulate and passionate about the impacts of training on her life and outlook.  “Tae Soo Do has definitely raised my self-esteem.  It has made me feel stronger . . .”

Attending Hamilton High School, Julia also holds down a part-time job saving lives at the Santa Monica City College pool.  Perhaps her work now is a harbinger of things to come.  When she’s not practicing piano, swimming, walking on the beach or scarfing avocadoes, Julia likes to spend time with close friends and family.

Jennifer Hodulik

Hailing from Wisconsin, Jennifer has found a place in the sun and the courtroom, not to mention the dojang, in Los Angeles.  As an entertainment attorney, Jennifer has found herself applying Hoshin-sul (self defense) techniques to those adversaries who refuse to listen to reason, including her husband of just over a year.

Besides increasing her confidence, Jennifer says that training has “acted as a great stress reliever”, allowing her to approach her other responsibilities with balance and discipline.  As she continues to climb the legal ladder, train for marathons, and support her beloved Green Bay Packers, she will continue to need the relief.

Michael Leonard

Michael attributes his determination and mental endurance directly to his training in Tae Soo Do.  Having to balance a full-time job and an MBA graduate school program with training for his black belt examinations and seeing the sunshine on occasion has forced Michael to prioritize and taught him the value of hours, minutes and seconds.

On the rare occasions he gets to eat, “Big Mike” likes to sit down with a BLTA and a baked potato, stuffing in the carbs the better to do flying nak bops and dive rolls.  Whether walking the halls at Loyola Marymount University, or the corridors of power at a Fortune-500 company, or drawing down on an inside straight, Michael knows that his training which teaches him to be ready for anything, will serve him for the rest of his life.

Reynaldo Macías

A proud husband and father of two, Reynaldo has been training at the Academy since 2003.  Frequently quoting Yoda, Reynaldo takes the Hwa Rang Do Meng Sae with him every day as he teaches history (and life) to 7th and 8th graders at St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades.

Though he originally wanted to be a Jedi, Reynaldo has recently come around to the realization that being a Hwarang is walking down the same noble path.  Outside of the dojang, he is working to establish himself as an author as well.  He has recently published two volumes of poetry, and is currently working on his first novel.