Tia Gonzalez has had a busy summer. The Bradwell Institute junior recently earned her second DAN black belt in Taekwondo and also was named to the National Society of High School Scholars.

Gonzalez, the daughter of Carlos and Darlene Gonzalez, has been a practitioner in Taekwondo since 2011.

She trains with the SKIES Unlimited Taekwondo class on Fort Stewart. In order to become a black belt, Gonzalez must possess the quality of courtesy, integrity, self-control, perseverance, and indomitable spirit in addition to demonstrating a knowledge and understanding of the aspects of taekwondo as presented to her by her instructor, and give that knowledge back to the program in the form of teaching other students who may one day do the same.

Gonzalez is committed to Taekwondo and has achieved a high level of proficiency and knowledge in the art of kicking and punching. This proficiency includes speed, accuracy, strength and thorough knowledge of a large amount of technique, both in theory and application as well as information.

According to a press release, "Gonzalez believes in the teachings and life lessons learned through the martial arts to be worthwhile and has faith that there is much more to learn. She is grateful to her instructor, the taekwondo school and the students who have in many ways helped to make her a better person."

Also this summer, it was announced that Gonzalez had been selected to join NSHSS, which recognizes top scholars "who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholarship and community commitment.

The announcement was madse by NSHSS founder and chairman, Claes Nobel, senior member of the family that established the Nobel prizes.

"On behalf of NSHSS, I am honored to recognize the hard work, sacrifice and commitment that Tia has demonstrated to achieve this exceptional level of academic excellence," Nobel said. "Tia is now a member of a unique community of scholars, a community that represents our very best hope for the future."

With her selection, she is now a lifetime member of the NSHSS, the press release said.