In my freshman year of college, I started practicing Taekwondo with University of Michigan Club Taekwondo. I started as a white belt with no prior Taekwondo experience, thanks to our great instructors and fellow friends in the club I earned my Red-Black belt and learned many skills and kicks. But most importantly I gained a new family in USA as an international student, a family that cared for me and will always be there to support me.

I served as the Vice President of our club in 2020 and as the Team Captain in 2019. As the Vice President I was responsible of fundraising, alumni relations, apparel designs and as the Team Captain I was responsible of improving our recruitment process and the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) of our club members.

Together with my teammates, I went to many tournaments across USA to compete with other colleges. In these competitions with the help of my teammates I got a couple medals in sparring and also I received bronze medals in 2018 and 2019 National Collegiate Taekwondo Competitions for my belt and weight division.

Among every activity I was involved with during college, UM Club Taekwondo is the one I remember and miss the most. This club has not just been a medium for me to practice and compete in Taekwondo, it has been a place where I found my friends, where I felt at home again while physically being so far away from my actual home in Turkey, where I went to relax whenever I felt at unease and stressed. 

During the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, I felt like I needed a new hobby that I can practice when I am just by myself. So I picked up skateboarding. When I was a kid I always wanted to learn skateboarding, but I thought the learning curve was tough and always postponed it. Indeed, the learning curve was tough and I fell on my butt so many times, but the process was rewarding. I am still a beginner level skateboarder that can only ride around and do some basic tricks. But I am happy with where I am. I promise one day soon I will land my first kickflip.

Nowadays, wherever I travel, my skateboard travels with me. I find nice spots to ride in the city and meet some cool skateboarder friends.

I started snowboarding when I was 14 and growin up snowboarded regularly on the mountains of Turkey. 

After I moved to USA, it became logistically harder for me to go to the mountains. On top of that I experienced some injuries between 2018-2020 and didn't feel confident of my body to snowboard (Shoulder and middle finger dislocations). 

Fortunately, in 2021 I was able to come back to the sport. Furthermore, the skills I got from skateboarding translated well to snowboarding and I felt much more comfortable doing exciting things like jumps and grinds. 

I am excited for future winters to shred the mountains.