Master Michelle
Learn more about Master Michelle!
Master Michelle is a 5th Dan Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Black Belt, a former Guam National Team athlete, and a 3rd Class Master under the World Taekwondo Masters Union (WTMU).
Currently, she is a World Class Poomsae athlete, competing in USA Taekwondo events, and is ranked #7 in her division in the USA.
Master Michelle made Taekwondo her career beginning in 2019 with Gold Medal Martial Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
She managed and taught at the Belmont location (one of four locations owned and operated by Grandmaster Herbert Perez, 1992 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist and World Champion) from 2020-2022.
Even during the COVID pandemic, Master Michelle continued training her students competitively in Sport Poomsae (traditional forms) to compete in virtual tournaments, when sparring was banned.
Master Michelle received her training at the Guam Taekwondo Center in Dedeo, Guåhan, under Master Noly Caluag, former Philippine National Champion, De La Salle University (DSLU) Hall of Fame Athlete, and the President of Guam Taekwondo Center.
Under his training, Master Michelle competed for the Guam Taekwondo National Team and won Bronze in the 2008 Oceania Regional Taekwondo Championship in Auckland, New Zealand, for Sparring.
She served as an Assistant Instructor with Guam Taekwondo Center since middle school, assisting in its weekly classes, demonstration team events, tournaments, and cross-training with other Taekwondo teams (including De La Salle Green Hills High School Taekwondo Team and De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines).
During college, Master Michelle served as Team Captain of the George Washington University Taekwondo Team from 2012 – 2014, while competing in national tournaments for both Sparring and Poomsae. She earned a Silver medal for the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Championships (NCTA) 2013 for World Class Sport Poomsae.
During this time she led, organized, and trained in intercollegiate workshops and scrimmages with university teams from Georgetown, Howard University, American University, and the U.S. Naval Academy. She also worked as a TA for the GWU Taekwondo elective course.
Master Michelle is active in the Kukkiwon, WTMU, and USA Taekwondo world - actively training, coaching, and competing in World Class Poomsae. She received her 3rd Class International WTMU (World Taekwondo Masters Union) Master certification in 2021, and her WTMU Poom/Dan Examiner certification in Fall 2023.
Master Michelle continues to teach martial arts at Crosskick Taekwondo and local homeschool co-ops. She also trains students in Poomsae virtually.
Her recent Poomsae wins include:
Sep 2023 | Gold x2 | TKD Grand Prix Championship (Sarasota)
Dec 2023 | Gold | Southwest FL TKD Championships (Fort Meyers)
Mar 2024 | Gold | AAU Florida TKD Qualifier (Wesley Chapel)
Apr 2024 | Gold | 2024 Florida State Championships (Sarasota)
Jul 2024 | Silver | Sport Poomsae | AAU Nationals
Jul 2024 | Bronze | 18-32 Traditional Poomsae | AAU Nationals
She is excited to continue her martial arts journey, teaching and training traditional and competitive Taekwondo while striving for excellence.
Questions?
You can reach Master Michelle at crosskicktampa@gmail.com.
We can't wait to meet you!
