On Saturday, after over 8 years of hard work and dedication, Stevie earned his Junior #BLACKBELT in #IsshinRyu #Karate! :) Stevie’s karate school does not hand out black belts to little kids. You have to work very hard to earn it and you must be at least 13 years old to achieve the rank of Junior Blackbelt, and 16 years old for the adult black belt rank of #Shodan. He has been going to karate 3-4 days per week since he was 4 years old and Holly was a 6 day old newborn baby, which is just insane to think about looking back on it now. It’s amazing to see how far he’s come and all that he’s achieved in that time. We are so incredibly proud of him for everything he’s accomplished, and we are so thankful and appreciative to Mr. Levitz and all the instructors at @newpaltzkarate who have helped guide him on this journey. We truly believe he is a better, wiser, more mature and well rounded young man because of the experiences he has had there. Looking forward to all he has left to accomplish as he continues to learn and true! #NewPaltzKarateAcademy #JuniorBlackBelt #IsshinRyuKarate #TraditionalOkinawanKarate #AmericanBudoKai #8years #hardwork #achievement #soproud #greatjob #13yearsold #keepgoing (at Vassar College) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca7tLAJP9gh/?utm_medium=tumblr