Instructors

Kyoshi Martha Fourt  

Instructor

Kyoshi Martha holds a 5th degree black belt in Seido Karate. She has taught in the adult Seido Karate program since 1988. A software engineer at Chicago Board Options Exchange, she holds a BA from the University of Chicago. 

I was one of the very first students in 1985 in the karate program that became Thousand Waves. I fell in love with it and never stopped. At various times in my life I have also studied other arts including aikido, kyudo, and tai chi; but Thousand Waves is my martial arts home and family. When I teach, my most important goals are always to communicate to my students my own love of karate, and to try to help each one, regardless of athletic ability, feel that he or she can learn this art and find it rewarding. Teaching brings me out of myself, lets me enjoy my students’ progress, and compels me to deepen and articulate my understanding of my art.

Sensei Jonathan Hannah

Instructor

Sensei Jonathan holds a 4th degree black belt in Seido Karate and teaches in the Adult Program. He is a graphic artist and composer as well as a martial artist. 

Each student comes to study Seido Karate for different reasons. It is very satisfying when I can help students achieve their goals, and even more so when I can deepen their understanding of martial arts.

Sensei Jeanette Repp

Instructor

Sensei Jeanette holds a 4th degree black belt in Seido Karate and teaches in the Adult Program. She is a social worker in private practice as a psychotherapist and an Episcopal priest working in parish ministry. 

I've been training at Thousand Waves for 14 1/2 years and have taught there for about 10 of those. Although my other interests include bird watching and sculpting, training and teaching karate is a center point in my life. Over the years teaching has become more and more at the heart of my practice. Sharing in my love for our art, and watching students grow in it, brings me a joy and feeds my passion for training, as well.

Sensei Peggy Shinner

Instructor

Sensei Peggy holds a 4rd degree black belt in Seido Karate and a 1st degree black belt in Kajukenbo. She teaches in the Junior, Youth, Teen and Adult Programs. A writer whose work has been published in literary magazines and anthologies, she has a Master of Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College. 

Teaching is like a two-way mirror in which you simultaneously experience the humility of giving and the exhilaration of learning. A writing mentor once assured me that soon I would figure out the hard thing I was working on, and then I would move to the next hard thing. Teaching is empowering someone to move on.

Senpai Triston Alvarez

Instructor

Senpai Triston holds a 3rd degree black belt in Seido Karate and a 1st degree black belt in Kajukenbo. He teaches in the Junior, Youth, Teen and Adult Programs 

When I began my training here at Thousand Waves at the age of 10, Jun Shihan Nancy and Kyoshi Sarah began teaching me karate with the guiding principles of love, respect, and obedience. Training here has taught me as much about life as it has about martial arts and 11 years later it is my great pleasure to pass on those teachings to both kids and adults. Osu!

Senpai Sally Wigginton

Instructor

Senpai Sally holds a 3rd degree black belt in Seido Karate. She teaches in the adult prgram. She works as a teacher, teaching reading to english language learners.  

I am happy to be back teaching at Thousand Waves after an almost ten year absence. Remembering the movements I once knew so well and striving to learn new material provides me with a mental and physical challenge. It reminds me of what it is like to be a beginner marial artist. My hope is to share my enthusiasm for my training through my teaching.

Senpai Marie O'Brien

Instructor

Senpai Marie holds a 3rd degree black belt in Seido Karate and 1st degree black belt in Kajukenbo. She is Thousand Waves’ outreach and self-defense program coordinator and teaches in the Adult, Teen, Youth, and Self-Defense and Empowerment Programs.

I’ve been an educator in several fields: cultural studies, science, ESL, and teacher training. Teaching karate and self-defense has allowed me to use my teaching skills in a new area, pushing and broadening me as a teacher and as a student of the martial arts. I believe that implicit in being a good teacher is being an eternal student – open to learning new skills and recognizing that we all have things to learn from each other.