Mrs. Atakan : LEAD/HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Mrs. Atakan : LEAD/HEAD INSTRUCTOR Mrs. Atakan is an extremely versatile mother/instructor who has been at Culin Karate Center training and teaching for almost 9 years. Currently a 3rd degree Black Belt training towards 4th degree Mastership she is a highly passionate about helping people and teaching. She is a fully Certified Culin Karate Instructor and became the Head/Lead Instructor in July 2021. Alongside being heavily involved in the Academy, she is the Captain of our wonderful Demonstration Team and has been a part of the Demo Team for almost 7 years. She has a particular liking towards giving private lessons and loves teaching and doing Katas with all the students. Outside of martial arts, Mrs. Atakan has previously worked for 4.5 years in the IT Industry in the leading company IBM in their Systems Operation and Outsourcing sector. Her passion for teaching/leading and her heritage further led her to becoming the Vice President of the Austin American Turkish Association, later being promoted to the Administrator & Turkish Teacher at the Austin Turkish American Association. She stays in Cedar Park TX with her husband and two children. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her children who are also Culin Karate Black Belts and visiting fun places around Austin while trying out some new food. She also likes traveling and discovering new countries. Her martial arts passion started with learning Judo and watching Bruce Lee’s movies. Over the years she has built a very deep bond with Culin Karate Center and she hopes to form even more bonds, train and help even more people to reach their goals at this wonderful Academy!
Mr. Senjit INSTRUCTOR
is a talented and versatile student/instructor from England with almost 13 years of training in various martial arts including being at Culin Karate Center for almost 4 years. Trained in Traditional Shotokan-Ryu Karate in Edison, NJ and also reaching a high level of experience and mastery in the style of Wing Chun Kung Fu. Trained in the style of Kalaripayattu an ancient form of Indian Martial Arts with basic knowledge of Marma Massage Therapy from Kerala, India. Mr. Senjit is a First Degree Black Belt in the style of Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo at Culin Karate Center currently training towards 2nd Degree. Having joined Instructor Training as only a yellow belt he is a Certified CKC Instructor and absolutely loves teaching, especially working with young children! He has been a member of the Demo Team since 2018 becoming a Lieutenant in 2022. Outside of the martial arts he is a Certified Tennis Instructor with the British Lawn Tennis Association. Mr. Senjit stays in Leander, TX and is an international student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor’s in BioChemistry whilst also being a Pre-Dental student and an avid Badminton player. He has aspirations of becoming a Pediatric Orthodontist/Prosthodontist after graduating dental school as he absolutely loves working with children and helping put smiles on faces! Otherwise he enjoys eating and cooking different cuisines in his free time and going on trips with his family. He also enjoys spending time with his aunt and playing with his two dogs Leo and Bruno and singing with his guitar!
is a talented and versatile student/instructor from England with almost 13 years of training in various martial arts including being at Culin Karate Center for almost 4 years. Trained in Traditional Shotokan-Ryu Karate in Edison, NJ and also reaching a high level of experience and mastery in the style of Wing Chun Kung Fu. Trained in the style of Kalaripayattu an ancient form of Indian Martial Arts with basic knowledge of Marma Massage Therapy from Kerala, India. Mr. Senjit is a First Degree Black Belt in the style of Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo at Culin Karate Center currently training towards 2nd Degree. Having joined Instructor Training as only a yellow belt he is a Certified CKC Instructor and absolutely loves teaching, especially working with young children! He has been a member of the Demo Team since 2018 becoming a Lieutenant in 2022. Outside of the martial arts he is a Certified Tennis Instructor with the British Lawn Tennis Association. Mr. Senjit stays in Leander, TX and is an international student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a Bachelor’s in BioChemistry whilst also being a Pre-Dental student and an avid Badminton player. He has aspirations of becoming a Pediatric Orthodontist/Prosthodontist after graduating dental school as he absolutely loves working with children and helping put smiles on faces! Otherwise he enjoys eating and cooking different cuisines in his free time and going on trips with his family. He also enjoys spending time with his aunt and playing with his two dogs Leo and Bruno and singing with his guitar!
Mr. Brooks INSTRUCTOR
has studied martial arts for 34 years. He currently is a 3rd degree black belt in Jhoon Ree taekwondo, 3rd degree black belt in WTF taekwondo, and the first degree Hoam taekwondo. In addition he trained other martial arts as well: Shoto-kan karate, jujitsu, wingchun, aikido, and many more. Outside of martial arts he works as an engineer at Apple.
has studied martial arts for 34 years. He currently is a 3rd degree black belt in Jhoon Ree taekwondo, 3rd degree black belt in WTF taekwondo, and the first degree Hoam taekwondo. In addition he trained other martial arts as well: Shoto-kan karate, jujitsu, wingchun, aikido, and many more. Outside of martial arts he works as an engineer at Apple.
When he’s not working or teaching classes, you can find him working on his car or chasing his 2 year old son at the park. A fun fact about Mr. Brooks, he claims to be a Tetris master as well.
Mr. McQueary INSTRUCTOR here at Culin Karate Center. He studied martial arts while he was in high school for around 3 years, and has recently become a 1st Degree Black Belt, working his way to 2nd Degree. He loves working with students, both young and not-so-young, and helping students grow and see their potential. Outside of martial arts, he works as an engineer making entertaining video games, and loves building all sorts of Lego models. His wife and two children are also Black Belt students at the studio. The family that kicks together, sticks together!