My name is Sophia Kaczmarzyk and I am a kids taekwondo teacher from Rhode Island. I have won three national champions and have even been in the ring with Olympic champions. I started my taekwondo career later than most but it only inspired me to work harder so that I could be the best! I started out as a ballerina. From the ages of 2 to 16 I was wearing point shoes and tutus all day and had no idea how to fight or what taekwondo even was. When I decided my ballet training was done I looked for something to keep myself active. I started joining my mother in her kick-fit classes which was the same place my brother took taekwondo lessons. After gaining confidence in kick-fit and watching a few taekwondo classes, I decided to give it a try. After a few weeks I was headed to my first tournament, where I brought home a gold medal. Since I was the newest student joining a team of experienced and talented athletes, I got beat up a lot during practice. This only made me better since the only way to stop getting pushed around in the ring was to be better than my teammates. I soon traveled around the country fighting athletes from all over the world. In my career I have only two loses at state championships. I also have a Masters degree in Psychology and have spent the last year teaching and working with children of all different abilities. I have worked in homes and schools to help children and parents create good habits and behaviors that will help them exceed in life. Being a behavior specialist and having an academic background in psychology has affected my teaching style as well. I make sure to explain to my students the rules of the classroom and reasoning for each rule and consequence, I implement reward systems for good behaviors in and outside of the classroom, and have a better understanding for why kids make decide to certain choices. I found a strong passion for this sport and it has taught me so much more than how to throw a kick.