Fiora Beratahani

Hello, my name is Fiora Beratahani. It is astonishing to think that I have spent more than half of my life practicing kung fu. But, through self-reflection, I have realized that my time in this studio is responsible for much of my physical and psychological growth as a person. Not only has kung fu’s rigorous exercises made me a stronger, healthier person, it has also benefited my diving skills. Aside from kung fu, diving is a great passion of mine which I have always loved ever since I first stepped on a diving board numerous years ago. For example, holding stances for extended periods has improved my leg strength and allowed me to keep jumping higher and higher with every dive. Even though every kung fu practice makes me sore the next day, I am very thankful for the tiring drills and conditioning. Academically, I have noticed changes in my study habits and participation. As a result of kung fu, I have always preserved through any tedious assignments and challenging assessments. In addition, tournaments, performances, and mentoring experiences have helped me transform from being shy and timid to becoming confident and more social. Nowadays, I am not afraid to raise my hand to answer questions and do presentations in front of the class. Before I end, I’d like to thank everyone here for making this Black Belt test possible, thank you to the judges for taking the time to be here, and thank you to the other testers for helping out one another. Thank you to Shifu Andy and Shifu Vincent for always pushing me and guiding me through the belt levels, and lastly, and most importantly, thank you to my parents for continuously supporting me. Overall, kung fu has made me into a stronger, more confident, well-disciplined, and determined person and I will forever be grateful for that. I will forever continue to hold on to the precious memories I have gained and the lessons I have learned in this very studio. Sincerely, Fiora 2/13/2022

My name is Fiora Beratahani and I have been doing Kung Fu for almost 10 years. I am testing for Black Belt 1st Duan. I am 15 years old and I am a sophomore at Leland High School.

My Kung Fu experience has been tedious but rewarding. Kung fu has made me stronger physically and mentally. Through the tiring practices and tough conditioning, I have felt stronger, quicker, and lighter. Kung Fu has also taught me a lot of important life lessons. I have learned to be more confident, disciplined, and determined.

How did Kungfu benefit in your overall life?

My Kungfu experience has been tedious but rewarding. Kungfu has made me stronger both physically and mentally. Through the tiring practices and tough conditioning, I have felt stronger, quicker, and lighter. Kungfu has also taught me a lot of important life lessons. I have learned to be more confident, disciplined and determined. I will continue to bring the things I’ve learned from Kungfu into my future.

Thoughts on your own performance?

I think I did well. I was nervous so I went a little fast on the forms. Other than that I tried my best and I am proud of myself

Explain how you were feeling before, during and after the test.

Before I was nervous and excited. During the test I was still both nervous and excited but also kind of tired. Afterwards, I felt proud and satisfied.