Junior Marisa Nakagama has a hidden talent, and it involves a black belt.

Since Marisa was young, she has loved the martial art of karate. “I have been doing this since I was eight; it’s a way to stay in touch with my Japanese heritage,” said Marisa.

Marisa was born and raised in the United States and as all of her relatives are in Japan, she has found it rather difficult to understand a big part of herself, her Japanese identity, and karate allows her to do that.

Her biggest inspiration to start karate was her father, who has been involved with karate since college at Hiroshima University. “When I was younger, I always saw him practicing with other cool older kids and the coach and I thought it looked so cool,” said Marisa.

Marisa usually practices in New Jersey at the Ooyama (which translates to“Big Mountain” in English) Dojo (literally meaning “place of the way”) three times each weekend – once on Saturdays and twice on Sundays. However, with a busy junior year in the way and countless hours of community service, she has found it difficult to keep up with this rigorous practice schedule.

This dojo has a special place in Marisa’s heart. “My shihan (teacher) is really close friends with my family and he also teaches me kickboxing on the side, which is so much fun because the combination of kickboxing and karate really helps me improve and get stronger. It also allows me to stay more active,” said Marisa.

It is quite the process to receive a black belt in karate and Marisa knows this process well. To move onto higher belt level rankings, the student must complete a set of “dance” routines consisting of different sets of karate moves known as “katas.” “It’s almost like a game, I was always inspired to keep moving on and getting to that new color belt.” says Marisa.

For Marisa’s black belt test, she was required to fight fifteen people who are also trying to earn the black belt ranking. With no breaks and tough competition, this test was not an easy one, but one she took and overcame.

Karate is Marisa’s form of leisure and meditation. “Karate lets me get away from the stress and teaches me how to relax, but also to focus on something else,” Marisa said. No matter how busy her life gets, Marisa still wants to continue with karate and she cannot wait for the day that she wins against her father.