Sparta resident earns third-degree black belt in Taekwondo

John Fernandes, 27, of Sparta recently received his third-degree black belt in Taekwondo.

He has been a student of Grandmaster Ik-Hwan Kim for 10 years, training in Taekwondo and Hapkido.

Kim, president of and chief instructor at the Universal Martial Arts Institute in Lafayette, has been teaching traditional Taekwondo for more than 40 years throughout the United States.

Fernandes, who joined the National Guard in 2018, works for the Department of Defense at Picatinny Arsenal.

Kim praised Fernandes for his hard work and determination.

“(Fernandes) is a great person with a fantastic personality,” he said. “He had been my student for the past 10 years and has already earned his first- and second-degree black belts.

“To earn this belt, it took more focus, more training and skill refinement. I am so impressed that he balances training, teaching at my martial arts studio, work and being in the National Guard.”

Kim and Fernandes traveled to Kim’s hometown in Korea after Fernandes graduated from high school. That trip reaffirmed his passion for Taekwondo.

“To me, this accomplishment is a recognition of taking on a higher level of leadership at the school as well as a new level of skill,” he said.

“I started practicing martial arts July 2012. I got my second degree in December of 2017. Quickly after that, scheduling conflicts from work got in the way, making it hard to train as much as I would have liked to, but I’ve really buckled down the last two years after those conflicts cleared up.

“Grandmaster Kim is really such a kind and patient man and truly an expert in his craft.”