Gold Karate champ now a Black Belt

Gold Karate champ now a Black Belt

MARIA LYLA Luciano, a 15-year old Filipino-Canadian, was awarded her 1st Dan Black Belt in Karate during ceremonies held in Red Deer, Alberta, where she was the youngest recipient.(Black Belt is the highest belt color denoting a degree of competence and 1st Dan is the first stage of this degree.)

Luciano recently won gold in Capital City Championships, a provincial tournament for Karate and Jujitsu practitioners. She practices three times a week and aims to achieve the highest level of the sport.

The Grade 10 student of Harry Ainlay High school in Edmonton also teaches kids at the dojo where she is a member.

Very much in touch with her roots, Luciano speaks Tagalog fluently, aside from English and French. As a young social justice advocate, Luciano is a founding member of Migrante Youth Alberta, a group that has organized Philippine history classes, guitar lessons, and arts activities for youth. Right now, the group is raising funds for their trip to the Philippines as delegates to the Anakbayan Congress in November 2016.

She is the daughter of Cynthia Palmaria and Marco Luciano of Edmonton, Alberta.

Luciano, 2nd from right, when she won the Capital City Championships

Photos courtesy of Luciano family