College Essay

Quinten Yonkers

College Essay

April 22^nd, 2014

A Time of Reconsideration

                When I was 12, I thought I was ready to get my black belt. I had been taking Tang Soo Do for six years and knew all I needed to be able to get my black belt. One Saturday morning, I woke up much more confident than normal, ready to tell Master Lee when I was determined to take my black belt test. I walked into my karate school and sat down with Master Lee. I told him that I was ready to take the long awaited test which included performing different tasks to my best ability. I needed to punch, kick, and break boards as quickly and proficiently as I could. However, my overwhelming confidence was cut short. He quickly told me, without hesitation, that I was not ready to achieve the greatest achievement I would have had yet to attain. However, insistent upon following through with what would be my greatest achievement yet. I insisted that I was able to do everything I needed to do. I had spent those past two months or so going to class and practicing nearly every day. I knew I was ready. Then, to my astonishment, he said that he was wrong and that I did seem ready to become the youngest person in the history of our school to get a black belt. So the next week, I took my test. Master Lee called me up to perform the requirements for my test. As soon as he told me to do the first form, I froze. I completely forgot how to do it, and I learned it when I was eight. Master Lee looked at me the entire time. When I looked at him after standing still for a few minutes, he laughed and said “You said you were ready.” Needless to say, I didn’t come even close to getting my black belt. But I wasn’t even the least bit upset. I walked away with a new confidence I didn’t have before. Four years after my failure, I asked Master Lee again. This time, he said yes right away. An hour later, I had become the youngest person in our school to have a black belt. I knew I wouldn’t have been able to fail again.