(October 26, 2001) -- As a Tae Kwon Do artist, Levon Khachatryan has been fighting his way through life. After eight years of hard work and dedication, Khachatryan has finally reached the honorary second degree black belt, placing him only three steps away from being a Tae Kwon Do master.

Tae Kwon Do, the Korean art of self-defense, is a form of karate. Tae stands for the defensive kick, Kwon represents the punch, and Do ties it all together, specifying the unique style of Karate.

Khachatryan, a senior at Clark, spends his free time assisting his Tae Kwon Do master teach students in the novice levels. He says his biggest inspiration was watching Bruce Lee movies when he was younger. Losing a street fight as a boy added to his desire to train in the martial art. Now he helps others learn the same lessons he learned from this sport, teaching not only physical fighting skills but also ways to achieve a healthier life and how to use good judgment skills.

After competing and winning many local Tae Kwon Do competitions, Kha- chatryan advanced to the state levels where he was very successful and soon found himself in the national competitions. At the age of thirteen he won nationals, and qualified to represent the United States for the 2000 Olympics. Though he was too young to go to the Olympics, Khachatryan plans to try out for the team again this year.

This Tae Kwon Do guru says a line from his inspirational hero Bruce Lee— “be like water, and become the cup.”—serves as his motto. He says it means to “pick something you want to do, and shape yourself into being successful at it.” He believes that this philosophy is the most important lesson to be learned from Tae Kwon Do.  Khachatryan advises everyone with hopes of becoming a master to listen to their elders, and most importantly to never give up. He believes life is not about being smart, but about being wise and knowing how to act, as he learned from his years of fighting at the Glendale Tae Kwon Do studio.

Determination serves a big role in Khachatryan’s fighting career. “Tae Kwon Do has helped him mature a lot,” says friend Violeta Yeveyan. “ He understands the essential needs of survival in life and how to go places with the skills he has.”  Though Khachatryan has approximately four more years of fighting before becoming a master, his family and friends say they all believe that he is quite capable doing so.

Khachatryan says that his goals for the future are to achieve his final degree of black belt and later open a studio of his own where he can carry on his name and teach his own kids all the lessons he has learned through this martial art.