06/02/2026
In 1983, a fifteen-year-old kid walked into Escuela de Taekwondo Bucaramanga. He had no idea that Taekwondo would become one of the few constants in his life for the next four decades.
The journey took me from Bucaramanga to Bogotá, from student to competitor, from competitor to referee, from referee to instructor. Along the way I was fortunate to learn from remarkable men: César Iván Forero, Pedro Pinzón, Fidias Benavides, Byong Oh Kang, José Joaquín Serrano, Hernando Díaz Marín, Freddy Zuluaga, and Edward "Chip" Lutz.
Some taught me how to fight. Some taught me how to teach. Some taught me how to lead.
One of them made me start over from white belt. Another told me, "You are a warrior, not a competitor." Another helped me find my way back after I had lost it.
Taekwondo remained present through victories, disappointments, migration to the United States, years of refereeing, opening my own school, personal struggles, recovery, and even a total hip replacement.
Then, in 2016, I met Grand Master Rafael Medina. By then, my journey in Taekwondo had already lasted more than thirty years. Yet he accepted the responsibility of guiding my next chapter. In 2017, he supported my promotion to 5th Dan. In 2022, we began the process toward 6th Dan. The path was delayed by surgery and recovery but never abandoned.
Today, that chapter reaches its conclusion with my promotion to 6th Dan Chang Moo Kwan and certification as 6th Dan Kukkiwon.
When I look back, I realize that every master I trained under left a mark on the person and martial artist I became. Forero started it. Pinzón shaped it. Kang influenced it. Serrano rebuilt it. Díaz matured it. Zuluaga formalized part of it. Lutz restored it.
But GM Medina helped bring it to completion.
My deepest gratitude to Grand Master Rafael Medina for his guidance, patience, friendship, and leadership throughout this journey.
The 6th Dan chapter is complete.
The work continues, the 7th Dan project has begun.
