What is your name and what do you do?

My name is Rodrigo A. Chavez Mulsa and I am a third-year bachelor student of Data Science & Knowledge Engineering at Maastricht University. 

Since when are you a member of Kinran?

I joined Kinran right at the start of my bachelor studies in September 2017.

As a long-term member of Kinran what motivated you to join /and stay?

So many reasons! They have changed for me through the last 2.5 years, I really enjoy karate and the feeling of progression, I knew nothing about fighting before joining and looking back I can see now a great difference. But the main reason why I stayed is the people, I was shy when I joined and felt out of place but after a few trainings I started getting closer to the members and felt this family vibe the association has which makes me say: I joined Kinran for Karate, I stayed for the people. 

How do you feel Kinran has developed over time and do you agree with this development?

When I joined the association was small, but I saw how it quickly grew to what it is today. By this I don’t mean only in number of members but also other things, like how we now have an active Instagram account, the consistency of fun leisure or karate related activities and the members participation in all of them. Yeah, there is room for improvement, but I agree with how the association is developing, not just as a group of friends but also as an organization.   

What is Karate to you?

For me Karate is more than just a fight style, I for sure have learned a thing or two about fighting but with karate I have also learned values (like trust, determination, punctuality, etc.) and most importantly a mindset that you can apply to your regular lifestyle.  After all you are fighting every day in your life, not with your fists but with your mind.

What is Kinran to you?

I think of everyone in Kinran as my friends, we share a common passion, we motivate and help each other out not just at training but also outside the dojo. We have great times together and like many others have said before me, it is like a family.

Any other remarks?

I would like to thank Arnold-sensei for doing an amazing job of training the association, for never giving up and believing in each and every one of us. Also, would like to thank the current board for their many hours and their great work invested in Kinran, I know it is not easy to keep the association running. Finally, a special shout to Anila for her wonderful job by keeping our social media active.