We planned a pretty awesome surprise for our Instructor and long-time student David Maranto during the last Belt Ceremony.
I'm sure many of you were there, but I'll give some background to those of you that weren't. David has recently been accepted to University. He had told us of his application process, listing the schools and programs he applied to and ranking them in order of his preference. At the very top of his list was a program at the University of Toronto: Engineering Science. A very difficult program to get into, with very strict academic requirements. They wouldn't give him admission results for a couple of months. In the meantime he kept his options open.
Shortly after, we asked David if he had heard back from any of the schools he applied and he (very nonchalantly) told us that he had been accepted to Engineering Science at UofT (University of Toronto)! We were over the moon with excitement for him. Though he is very humble about it, we know how hard David has worked for this achievement and he deserves it 100%.
Fast forward a couple of months to the Belt Ceremony on May 31st, 2019. The night we unveil our big secret in honour of David.
We created our own little Scholarship. Given how much time David has dedicated to us here at Kicks For Kids both in training and instructing, we were in a wonderful position to give something back.
I designed a large novelty size cheque that we could hand to him on the night of the ceremony. Then we planned out what we were going to say when we made the announcement. When the time came, I can honestly say we surprised him. Like... a lot.
It was awesome. We're so proud of him and we know that wherever he goes, to University and beyond, the people around him are lucky to have him there. If you happen to see David around Kicks For Kids, be sure to congratulate him on his amazing achievement!