February 2014 Martial Artist Spotlight: Paige McPherson

We are very excited to be highlighting a woman for the month of February.

While there are many great women to choose from, we've managed to find that Bronze Olympic Medalist Paige McPherson fits the bill for the month of February.

While I'm not a huge fan of the Summer Olympics(Im typically Winter all the way. Especially when Apolo Ohno or Shani Davis are competing), This particular martial artist caught my eye.

No she's not a movie star. No she isn't in commercials. But is she breaking stereotypes? Yes! Is she showing that Black Girls Rock? Yes! Is she letting the world Black girls do workout? Yes!

Paige McPherson is walking diversity. Not only is she a transracial adoptee in an American family, she is of mixed race African-American and Filipina descent. In a family of six(whom are also adopted) many are different races, so she grew up in a multiracial home. In fact, her brother, whom is originally born in South Korea, was the one who originally brought her interest in the art.

Healthy competition is what fueled her to excel at Tae Kwon Do. And boy did it pay off! Not only did she become better at him at the sport, that ambition took her to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and resulted in a bronze medal in the women's 67kg event.

She has many accolades in events such as the Pan Am Games, the USAT National Championships, not to mention that nice bronze medal recognizing her excellence at the Olympics.

Paige is very young, so who knows what's in store for her in the future. But I bet her future is very bright. Let's all hope she shines a little bit brighter!