Spring 2026 Black Belt Cycle

Candidate Journals

King Tiger Tae Kwon Do Black Belt candidates blog daily about their journey: their thoughts and feelings, their struggles and successes; their pain and their encouragement. Follow along on their journey; words of encouragement are always welcome!

I’m Lalitha Sree Damarla, a current Bo‑Cho at King Tiger Taekwondo. I enjoy coding, data visualization, and graphic design, along with drawing and journaling. I also train in Taekwondo and weapons, and I love playing tennis and badminton.

Journal #11 -1/21/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty easy going. I had school first it was async., and once school was done, I headed over to taekwondo. I helped with the senior Tigers, had a mentor session (thx master weeks) and a black belt class. I finished my requirements and came back home. Mostly that was my entire day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle.   Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #10 - 1/20/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty steady overall. I had school first, and once that wrapped up, I headed over to the dojang. I had both a mentor (thx Master Weeks) and a mentee session (hey Emelia :>), which made the afternoon feel productive. I also helped out with the Senior Tigers and worked with the Yellow Belts, making sure everyone stayed on track and understood what they were doing. That was pretty much the whole day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle. Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #9 - 1/19/2026 - Lalitha

Today was honestly pretty chill. I got my requirements done first, which felt good to just get out of the way. After that I finally caught up on a bunch of stuff I’d been behind, just the little things that pile up. I did some more designing too, just messing around and getting ideas out of my head. And I actually sat down and read for a bit, which was a nice break. That was basically the whole day. Hope everyone’s doing well, and good luck for the rest of the cycle. Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷   “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”― Martin Luther King Jr.

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Journal #8 - 1/18/2026 - Lalitha

Today was super chill. I woke up, got my requirements done, and then went out for a bit just to get out of the house. When I got back, I actually sat down and studied for a while, which felt kinda nice. And the big win of the day? I finally sketched something again after forever. It wasn’t a whole masterpiece or anything, but it felt good to draw. Honestly, that was pretty much the whole day. Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #7 - 1/17/2026 - Lalitha

Today started early. I woke up around 6 and got ready for Black Belt class in the morning. Class took a lot of energy, but it felt good to get moving and knock it out first thing. After I got home, I went straight into my requirements and worked through a solid chunk of them. At some point I ended up falling asleep — not planned, just tired from everything. When I woke up, I did a little more work and kept things steady for the rest of the day. Later I helped my mom with a few things, and that was basically it. A simple, quiet day, but I still got what I needed to get done. Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #6 - 1/16/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty steady overall. I spent most of the day working through my requirements, studying, and keeping up with my usual school tasks. Nothing too intense, but it still felt productive in that quiet, low‑key way. I’m also really looking forward to the three‑day weekend — it gives me extra time to keep pushing on my requirements, so uhhh ye, that’s definitely a win. Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #5 - 1/14/2026 - Lalitha

Hello! Checking in with another journal entry for this cycle. Today was a full but productive day. School was async, so I used the morning to study, catch up on work, and get a few things organized. I also cleaned up my space a bit, which honestly helped reset my focus. In the afternoon, I headed to TKD. I helped out in the Senior Tiger class, then took the Black Belt class where we worked on single stick (thanks again Aiden :> ) and poomsaes. After that, I had my mentor session (Thanks Master Weeks :> ), which went really well. I also finished my requirements today, which was a huge relief and a solid way to wrap things up. Wishing everyone a strong rest of the cycle! Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #4- 1/13/2026 - Lalitha

Today was pretty steady overall. I focused on getting my requirements done, studying, and handling my usual school stuff. Nothing too wild, but it felt productive in that quiet way.   Hope everyone has a great day, and good luck for the rest of the cycle!   Thanks,   Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  

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Journal #3 - 1/10/2026 - Lalitha

Today was a long but solid day. I woke up at 4:30 AM, got myself together, and headed out for the Pre‑Test this morning. I ran 4 laps around the track, then came in for the written and physical portions. I also went through my poomsaes, and honestly, everyone did a really good job today the energy was strong and focused. After everything wrapped up, I came back home, studied for a while, got some work done, and cleaned up my space just to reset my mind a bit. Good luck to everyone for the rest of the cycle — we’re off to a strong start.   Thanks,   Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #2 - 1/8/2026 - Lalitha

Today was a full but productive day. I had to go in‑person for a midterm this morning, and once I got back home, I spent some time studying and getting a few things organized. After that, I cleaned up the space a bit, which honestly helped reset my focus. Later in the afternoon, I headed to TKD. I helped out for a while and then had my mentor session (Thanks Master Weeks :> ), which went really well. I also finished my requirements afterward, so that was a big relief and a solid way to end the day. Wishing everyone a strong rest of the cycle and good luck to those preparing for the upcoming Pre‑Test!  Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷

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Journal #1 - 1/7/2026 - Lalitha

Hello! This is my first journal entry of the cycle. I wasn’t able to make it to class for the past three days, but today was a solid reset. Today: I woke up around 5 AM to get ready for my running portion and knocked out a mile before getting ready for school. Since school was async, I used the time to finish all my missing work. I also worked on my requirement during the 25–30 minute breaks between assignments. I helped my mom with a few things, too, which felt nice. Hope everyone has a great day and Happy VERY late new year! Good Luck to everyone for the upcoming Pre-Test!   Thanks, Lalitha Sree Damarla⁷  

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