Siblings Take Home Medals From Collegiate Taekwondo Championship

A York College of Pennsylvania graduate and a current student faced tough competition at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Championships in Berkeley, California.

York College of Pennsylvania alumna Elizabeth Jacobson ’23 and her brother Liam Jacobson ’26 represented the College in April at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Championships in Berkeley, CA. Supported by their mentor and coach, Derek So ’22, who majored in Psychology and owns So’s Taekwondo in Hanover, PA, the siblings showcased their martial arts prowess and dedication to the combat sport.

While York College doesn’t have a formal Taekwondo program, the siblings, both black belts, went to the tournament as official representatives of their alma mater. Liam, an Early Elementary Education major, competed in the welterweight division against students from such prestigious schools as the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, and Princeton University. In a pool of 19 competitors, he placed third, bringing home a bronze medal.

Elizabeth, who majored in Psychology, won her first match 48 to 1, then lost her second match by one point to secure a silver medal in a tightly contested division.

“I’m proud of the journey,” she says.

Coach So, whose familial roots in Taekwondo span three generations, also is proud of his protégés’ achievements.

“Liam and Elizabeth both started very early in their lives,” he says. “They just stuck with it through wins and losses, injuries, and successes, for over a decade. That kind of dedication always provides a fruitful harvest. Years and years of training and dedication led to this opportunity.”

Real-Life Applications

Liam began studying Taekwondo at 5 or 6 years old. By age 10, he was attending tournaments and competitions and soon recruited his older sister to the martial art.

At age 11, Elizabeth had been competing in gymnastics for nine years when a severe back injury put her on the sidelines. She was ready to shift gears, and the Korean martial art intrigued her. Within a year of beginning training, she was named to the competition team, completing poomsae, which are combinations of positions and movements, and winning medals around the country.

Besides being students of the martial art, Elizabeth and Liam work at So’s Taekwondo.  Elizabeth started at the studio at age 14 and soon was conducting its after-school program and summer camps. She discovered through that work a desire to help kids grow as athletes as they developed grit and self-control.

As she approached high school graduation, Elizabeth knew she wanted to choose a college degree program that would help her continue to grow in her role at So’s Taekwondo. So was a student in York College’s Psychology program and highly recommended it to help Elizabeth better understand students. She visited the campus.

“When I met Dr. (Jennifer) Engler, she spoke my language,” she says of the Psychology Department Chair and Professor. “It just clicked. I knew this was the school.”

Elizabeth also liked that she could continue to work full-time at So’s Taekwondo and commute to campus. Despite her busy schedule, she found at York College a flexible program that accommodated her commitments and helped her apply her classroom lessons to her martial arts work.

“What I do now is what I want to do long-term,” she says of teaching taekwondo, “so they helped me use what I was learning in my actual job.”

Never Give Up, Keep Getting Stronger

Liam also was 14 when he began working at So’s Taekwondo, helping to teach individuals and classes. Through the experience, he realized a passion for teaching, especially elementary-age students. Liam has found that taekwondo helps him succeed as a student. And he found that his engaging professors, the quality teaching program, and the reasonable price have made York College the right fit for him.

“I’ve been able to apply my mindset of never giving up and keep getting stronger, trying harder,” he says.

While he’s decided to stop competing after this year to focus on enjoying his college experience, Liam plans to continue teaching taekwondo and helping kids find self-discipline and focus through martial arts.

“We’re content with being done with competing,” Liam says of himself and Elizabeth, “but we’ll both still be practicing and coaching tournaments.”

‘A Game You Can Never Win’

The championship in California might have been Liam’s and Elizabeth’s final collegiate tournament, but So looks forward to taking other students to various competitions. He would love to see York College consider a program.

For So, taekwondo isn’t just about spin kicks and self-defense; it’s a continual commitment that builds resilience and depth of character. “Practicing a martial art is like trying to win a game you can never win,” he says. “There’s always something to improve. You have to be highly reflective and self-aware.”

Liam, Elizabeth, and So hope their stories inspire others to pursue their passions relentlessly, whether it is a martial art or something else they embrace.

“Even if you don’t do something that’s super common, you can still grow and do really great things within that,” Elizabeth says.