Dear Fariborz:
Brandon forwarded the draft of your booklet and I must say that the philosophy that you profess is something I share with you wholeheartedly, and I have seen the impact it has had on Brandon”s life.
As you know, Brandon has been your student since the age of 8 years old, and now he is 30! Can you believe that you have been his karate master for 22 years!!!! But, let me take you back to 1988, when Brandon first started training with you.
Back then Brandon was a small, skinny kid. Very smart, but always the youngest and smallest of the class, and as such, picked on by the older and bigger classmates. He felt insecure about his standing within the group, although academically he was always ahead of the pack. That is why we enrolled him in your studio. He needed to learn to trust himself in any circumstance, and we knew that martial arts would be a tool that could help him achieve “self- confidence.”
And, it did just that. Brandon evolved into a strong, yet thoughtful individual. He pushed himself towards new goals, and through time, patience and diligence, he achieved each new rung on the ladder towards the first black belt; then the second; and the third. Each one of them took a lot of sacrifice and commitment, but it taught him that everything is attainable if you just work hard enough at it. And, that lesson was then applied well towards his formal education. First towards his Bachelor”s Degree in Science with his Aerospace Engineering Degree from U.C.L.A; and then with his Master”s in Business Administration Degree from Pepperdine.
He applied the learned concepts of discipline, steadfastness, thoroughness and commitment to achieving his educational objectives. During those years, you did not see much of him, since he was away at school, but he never forgot what you taught him. And, came back to his love and passion for Martial Arts.
Mr. Fariborz, you have been such a great influence on Brandon, that words fall short of expressing our neverending gratitude to you. He looks up to you, respects and loves you very much because you have been such an integral part of his life, and still are!!! I know that you have been a great influence on many other young lives that have passed through your studio in the last quarter century, and your legacy is how these young men and women have turned out in life…there are many examples of them still hanging around your academy so many years later, and that is because you have instilled in them the passion for the art of self-defense; and as well, gave them self-respect and self-esteem.
Thank you from the Predazzi-Florian Family for being such a great role model in Brandon”s life!