Ashkan Ladjevardi

I wish I could say that ever since I was a little kid I watched Bruce Lee movies and I knew I was going to become a martial artist, achieve my black belt, and teach karate. However, that wasn't the case. I was born in Tehran, Iran, and moved to California when I was four. I grew up in different parts of LA and now live in Agoura Hills. I graduated from Agoura High School and started attending UC Irvine. Though a nice, likable guy with many friends, I was not a very happy person. I was overweight, didn't have much confidence in myself, and sometimes let people take advantage of my kindness. During my second year at UCI, Mr. Fariborz, who is married to my cousin Ms. Nina, convinced me to come down to the karate studio and workout once a week with him. Though Mr. Fariborz might have saw something in me, never did I think that this was the start to a life changing experience that would make me into the person I am today. Through my journey to becoming a black belt, Mr. Fariborz helped me realize that I can honestly do anything I put my mind to. Martial arts helped me transform myself both mentally and physically. Not only did karate give me the motivation to lose almost 70 pounds through hard training, but it gave me an extreme amount of confidence to go through the rest of my life. Seeing how martial arts has changed me and knowing I can never repay Mr. Fariborz and TKC for all they have done for me, the best I can do is to make the same impact to the next generation of students. My goal as an instructor is to help show people, especially children, that they have the ability to do anything, and when they realize that ability, that's when they gain all their confidence.

I received my 3rd degree black belt in September 2009. I have also received my degree in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine, and though my future goal is to become a doctor and help people, in the meantime I believe I can make differences in lives as a martial arts instructor, knowing by experience how it could change an individual’s life for the better.