Young Chance Takers Break Through

Ryan and Reina Chance Takers, Lower School

April 13, 2023

Can you have a breakthrough while you’re still in the single digits? Ask our next #SCHancetakers, SCH 2nd and 3rd graders! Taekwondo black belt Ryan, age 9, who literally breaks boards, and his sister, Reina, age 7, who is pursuing her black belt. The duo recently performed at the Multicultural Festival at SCH in front of a crowd of families and friends. See their blockbuster performance here. Before a competition, tournament, or performance, they both admit to feeling nervous—hesitant even—but because of the discipline and training involved in their practice, they say that all that falls away as soon as they are in the moment, on the cusp of taking a chance.

“I don’t feel any nervousness during the performance,” says Ryan, who has been practicing Taekwondo, a form of Korean martial arts that encourages a peaceful mind, since he was just 3 years old. “I just think about what I’m supposed to do.”

Ryan and Reina's mom, Nari, took a chance on the sport when they were young: "It was a big step for us to introduce this journey to our children especially when they were 3 and 4 years old at that time. We believed Taekwondo would give them a chance to be focused, physically and mentally disciplined, respect others, and be confident for themselves. It’s great to see these children become stronger inside and out. We are so proud of them."