Matt is a professor in the Computer Science department (if desired, you can read more about his academic bio here). He grew up in Pikesville, MD, where he played various sports ‘for fun’ as a kid, but did not try a martial art. He started taekwondo as a sophomore at Cornell under Grandmaster Han Don Cho through the PE class, and competed as a color belt for the Cornell team for two years in the ECTC (then, INCTL). Matt went to MIT for his PhD in EECS, where he trained under Master Dan Chuang. He competed for MIT in the ECTC as a red and black belt, and was a co-captain for two years. He also began competing in NCTA and USAT tournaments as a black belt, and training with Master Chuang’s t.Bos competition team. Matt returned to MIT to test for his 4th dan under Master Chuang in 2019.

Matt has been training under Mr. Hatfield since coming to Princeton in 2014. Since 2017, he has joined Mr. Hatfield as a coach of the Princeton team as well. He still trains remotely with Master Chuang and the t.Bos competition team, and still competes, too! He’s very thankful for randomly joining a taekwondo class as an undergrad, as he met many of his closest friends through ECTC. 

Elise has been doing taekwondo since elementary school and enjoys working on poomsae. She is majoring in Linguistics with a certificate in Chinese language. In her free time, she likes practicing calligraphy, getting Murray Dodge cookies, and taking naps. Come and chat anytime!

Amanda is a junior from Wichita, KS majoring in East Asian Studies. She started taekwondo last fall, and is currently a yellow belt. Outside of taekwondo, she enjoys powerlifting, for which she captains the club team here at Princeton.

Yolian is a senior from Saline, Michigan majoring in Economics. She is a third degree black belt. In her free time, she enjoys playing Wordle and other word games.

Eugene Liu (‘24) hails from Newton, MA and is a COS concentrator. He has been doing Taekwondo and Hapkido for the past 11 years and is currently a 2nd degree black belt in ITF-style Taekwondo. Outside of Taekwondo, he enjoys playing the violin, reading, and trying new food!

Emma is a senior from Pennsylvania majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She is a first degree black belt with a preference for poomsae. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and frequenting boba shops.

Sandra started Taekwondo last year as a total beginner, and the TKD team has quickly become one of her favorite parts of Princeton. She is currently a senior in the comparative literature department, and her interests include theater, translation, and Chinese pop culture. As the social chair, she really looks forward to getting to know all of you!