A N D R E . D U L C E

Borrowed from google images.

Sensei Andre Dulce has been one of my idols ever since I started doing karate. He is fair, laid back, credible, and funny. One of the things I’ve been struggling with is to not be so uptight and to let things go. I strive to be like Sensei—as everyone calls him—in that he’s able to live a stress-free life by letting go and not making a big deal out of conflict. For example, at a kids karate tournament where there were first and second place winners, a parent approached Sensei angrily ranting about how his son should have received a first place trophy instead of a second place one. Rather than making a big deal about how things are the way they are, Sensei said nothing, reached over to the trophy table,handed the father a first place trophy, smiled, and said, “Here you go!” The man took the trophy confused, as if to have expected Sensei to argue. He then mumbled, "Thank you," and slowly turned to walk away.

Another thing I admire about Sensei is that he’s always trying to make WSA a better place for everyone: parents, students, kids, instructors, etc. Though he’s already a sixth degree black belt (which is five black belt levels ahead of me), he still strives to reach higher levels of the black belt to gain more skills and knowledge to be able to teach his students a larger variety of skill. In addition to having decades of experience under his belt, he teaches his classes in a very fun and upbeat manner that makes people want to attend classes for the fun of it, rather than just for the workout. This has taught me a life lesson in that it is important to be a credible source in any career that I take on as well as making any work environment fun and light to create a positive environment.

Andre Dulce Black Belt Dojo Kun Do Your Best Sensei Show Spirit