Desantos Martial Arts Studio	The Master, Kwan Jang Nim Veronica DeSantos
There will be a more definitive biography later. But for the moment, I'd just like to talk about Kwan Jae Nim from my own experience. KJN came from Guyana in the early 1970s. Her inital black belt was awarded by Park Jong Soo in ITF style Tae Kwon Do in the late 70s. While working at a bank and rising to the position of loans officer, she started to teach and has had her own full time dojo for the last 14 years. Early in her career, until the mid to late 1980s, she was a top ranked fighter in North America, a member of the well-known Atlantic Fighting Team and trained with Cezar Borkowski of Northern Karate Schools.She established her full time school DeSantos Martial Arts Studio in 1988. To me, her most impressive fighting was a string of 8 top calibre victories in a row on a large tournament circuit through Canada and the Northeastern U.S. She also holds a 4th Dan ranking in Shotokan Karate.
KJN has the talents and instincts of a born teacher. Coaxing and goading, demanding and supportive, very much on the basis of the needs of the individual student, she strives to enpower the students to be the best that they can be. She has an uncanny instinct for knowing how hard a student is working within themselves and to demand no less than the best efforts of each student. She has high standards of professionalism and a fierce loyalty to her staff and students.
KJN has retains the enthusiasm and passion of the true seeker, constantly broadeing her experience and capabilities. She trains religiously and is an unparalled techinican. Her many students range from the non-competitive to students who compete at a national level. She is supportive of the efforts of other marital artists, while keeping to her own vision of what her dojo should be. She has a special interest in empowering women, both as people and martial artisits and regularly holds seminars for women's shelters and half-way houses. Recently she held an extended series of workshops in local high schools.
At least that's the way I see it. The National Women's Martial Arts Federation Special Training '99 was hosted by KJN at Brock University, St. Catherine's, Ontario. KJN DeSantos most recently fought in the 14th PamAm Games in Mexico City in the spring of 2004. For more information you may send her an email. The dojo has classes in the morning and evening and is open 6 days a week. Current active students age from 4 to 58.
	And a big thank-you to Charles Nelson for kindly doing the scans and jpg generation.