Miles Flath’s Scholarship Essay (Excerpts)

To be considered for the Master Jeffrey Laliberte Scholarship, applicants must be active members of a TSDMA School for a minimum of one year prior to application and have attained a minimum rank of third Gup Red Belt. Our own Miles Flath won this year $1000. Your child may apply when they qualify.

Martial arts, as a whole, can affect many different bodies of life, physical and mental. The codes and tenets that you must abide by can and will affect your whole life, especially in your academics. People outside of the area of martial arts see it as a practice in violence, or a practice in self defense, something physical. But the bigger part of martial arts is mental, and how you can control your own body with it.

Strength of mind is more important than your physical strength and will take you farther than any type of physicality. … It’s not all about that fancy degree, or that walk on the stage. It’s about how it truly affects you, and how you came out in the end.

Integrity is the idea of being honest and being morally strong. This affects your academics to a large degree, and most would not realize this. The time where you thought you would just ask a friend for an answer, or take a quick look at their paper. … Concentration is focusing on the task ahead of you. This is possibly the most important skill for both martial arts and your academics. Without concentra-tion, you cannot project your full potential, and you will not be able to accomplish any task. Being able to stick to that book, … taking notes and writing down the important details as you go are just some ways that your concentration will affect your academics. The best martial artists … stick to a task and keep on attempting it until they get it right. If you can focus your attention onto something, you can accomplish nearly everything.

Perseverance is doing something, despite how difficult or strenuous the situation may be. The long nights studying for that exam, almost falling asleep in your book, but you keep on reading despite the heavy eyes. You stick to your class, no matter how hard it is, even if you want to drop out.

Self-control is simple, yet extreme-ly important, especially in college. It is your ability to know the difference between want and need. You want to go out with your friends, but you need to study. You want to go and finish that show, but you need to finish your essay. The ability to keep your mind sharp and on the task for as long as needed, you control what you do. your ability for that control will save you a lot of hassle. … The fire in your heart to keep on trying is what you would look for in a person, and that fire in the heart is directly related to the fire that burns in your mind. You should always look to learn more, no matter how good you are, or think you are. You should always be open to other teachings you their knowledge  and be willing to give yours away just as freely. Knowledge is the true power that runs the world and is the best way to become the best martial artist you could possibly be.