Saturday morning at Survive Taekwondo, two kids faced each other on the mat, helmets on, ready to compete. And before the first point was scored, they hugged.
They hugged again when it was over.
That’s the culture Professor Mario Morales has spent years building inside his studio — and it was on full display at the 6th Annual Survive Taekwondo Tournament this past Saturday, where PowerUP scholars joined their fellow students to compete in one of the most genuinely warm sporting events we’ve ever been part of.
I had the honor of serving as a judge at the tournament. Watching match after match, what struck me wasn’t the technique or the scoring — it was everything happening around the mat. Parents in the stands cheering for every child, not just their own. Older students crouching down to coach younger ones between rounds. Kids in full sparring gear congratulating each other with the kind of sincerity you rarely see in competitive sports.
Professor Morales has talked to us before about how much he prioritizes making his students better people off the mat as well as on it. Saturday was proof that it’s working. He’s built something rare: a competitive environment where the goal isn’t just to win, but to grow — in discipline, in respect, in how you treat the person standing across from you.
PowerUP was honored at the event as a partner of the studio. Trophies were presented on PowerUP’s behalf with a simple inscription: “Thank You.” That meant more than we can say. The scholars we support train here not just to learn self-defense, but to build the self-regulation, resilience, and respect that sit at the core of everything PowerUP does. Watching them compete — and seeing the community that surrounds them — reminded us exactly why we do this work.
Mentorship through martial arts isn’t just a model. It’s a culture. And Professor Morales has proven it can be built, one match — and one hug — at a time.
If you’d like to help us put more kids in programs like this one, you can sponsor a child for just $500 a year. Every dollar goes directly toward keeping a scholar on the mat.
Connor Cook is the Executive Director of PowerUP Scholarship Fund.