Throughout everyone’s academic career, there has always been pressure to do more.
Whether it’s joining a club, being part of a sports team or getting involved in student government, there’s an expectation that students will apply themselves further than the bare minimum.
Senior Eduardo Brito-Garcia has taken this one step further, becoming not just a student, but an instructor as well.
Brito-Garcia works after school most days at Enshin Karate in Falls Church where he teaches martial arts to other children. He likens his job to more of a mentor role than that of a simple coach, functioning as a role model they can look up to. Filling the role of an instructor presents a unique challenge to him that not many high school students face at his age.
“The hardest thing is knowing that there’s so many students and parents that see you and count on you to teach their kids something not just about fighting, but respect and discipline,” Brito-Garcia said.
In the process of teaching children important life skills, Brito-Garcia has learned more about himself and interacting with the world around him and has become a more mature person as a result.
“It’s taught me how to connect more with other people, especially kids,” Brito-Garcia said. “Not everyone’s the same, everyone likes certain things and you’ve just got to work with them.”
Despite the challenges that come with balancing an academic career and working a job as an instructor at the same time, Brito-Garcia believes that the experience is incredibly worthwhile both for him and for those he teaches.
“When I go in there, it doesn’t even feel like a job,” Brito-Garcia said. “I see the kids and they all look at me, smiling, and it makes me feel better, like I’m doing something for them.”